Pakistan’s foreign policymakers have not let some of the recent developments in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) go unnoticed, issuing a warning to New Delhi that any further ‘unilateral steps’ there could ‘undermine regional peace’. After the Modi government sent in more troops to IOK a week back, a number of rumors have been circulating that India may be gearing up to carve up IOK further, with one theory suggesting that South Kashmir would be merged into Jammu to create a new administrative region. While these reports are at the moment just rumours, it must be remembered that the last time there was heavier than usual troop deployment in the area, it was followed by the abrogation of Articles 35A and 370 of the Indian Constitution, a major development that caught everyone off guard. It seems the government has not been caught sleeping on the job this time round, with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi writing a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations Secretary General warning of the likelihood of India attempting to advance its ultra-nationalistic agenda.
However, the ineffectiveness of the PTI government’s efforts and inconsistency of its narrative over the Kashmir issue remains as problematic as ever. Only two weeks back, Prime Minister Imran Khan gave a statement that Pakistan was ready for talks if India provided a roadmap to restore Kashmir’s status. Is the PM simply unaware of what India is apparently planning to execute in IOK with more troops or is there no coordination with the Foreign Office before such bold statements are made that eventually become a source of embarrassment? Backchannel talks with India, brokered by the UAE, have thankfully resulted in a well-implemented ceasefire along the LoC but this has become another source of unchecked glee emanating from various federal cabinet ministers. Hammad Azhar announcing the opening of trade with India and withdrawing the announcement days later after a severe backlash from within the PTI ranks is a case in point. It is welcome that the Foreign Office is on top of things for a change, monitoring the situation in IOK and responding in a timely way. It would be even better if related statements made by other functionaries of government were made more prudently after discussion without haste.
