By the Editor In Chief

ritain’s newest transaction for furnishing Hawks aircraft to India has once again manifested London’s ‘love n’ leaning’ towards its old-time aficionado — India. Though a plimsoll, the provision of this gadget to a country which is antagonistic towards each of its adjacent nation is a lucid pointer, depicting the mind-set of ‘the mother of democracy plus champion of peace’ that it — in fact — does not wish to see peace n’ amity in the South Asian region — already facing a perilous scenario. Wouldn’t have it been more apposite if the US-led United Kingdom had given a flat ‘No’ to its clip — India to wait till such time that it had reconciled with Pakistan through an instant dialogue to solve all the longed disputes — with Kashmir Issue atop, as this is the singular way for the revamping of a lasting peace in the part of the Earth planet? The fresh Indo-UK deal is — in a way — an eye-opener for all those nations — around the globe — which adore a harmonious milieu all-around and snub skirmishes of all types. Nonetheless, it’s not a fresh episode for any one — blessed with pragmatism — to raise eye-brows. It was evident even during the visits to the region by the British Foreign Secretary; Jack Straw’s when jar was boiling to the optimal. His avowals — both in New Delhi n’ Islamabad exhibited Britain’s disdain towards Pakistan. His remarks were reflective of utter impudence and the crux of his answers — during chat with newsmen- smacked of the old British colonial state of mind.

Paradoxically, Jack Straw — not only had — parried all the queries relating to the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir but had — simultaneously — opted to term Kashmir as a ‘bilateral’ Issue. He espoused the hoax of ‘elections’ in Indian Held Kashmir rather than a free, fair and impartial plebiscite, as enshrined in the resolutions of the UN Security Council. He explicitly endorsed India’ groundless allegations of ‘cross border terrorism’ and accused Pakistan of backing the gallant Kashmiri freedom fighters.

At the same time he did not utter a single word about Kashmiris universally-accepted right of self-determination and Indian brutalities in occupied Kashmir but simply promised to raise the issue of ‘human rights violations’ with the New Delhi rulers. It is satirical that Jack entirely forgot the historical perspective of the Kashmir dispute and the fundamental role played by the last British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten in truncating Pakistan.

Jack Straw — who, prima facie, became an MP chiefly through the fabulous volume of vote’s caste by overseas Pakistanis plus the dwellers hailing from the gorgeous and dazzling Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir with an out-and-out pledge that he (Jack) would support Kashmiris just cause if gets a slot in the House of Commons - must confess that Kashmir is not a bilateral issue as it is an unfinished agenda of the partition of the sub-continent. There would have been no Kashmir issue, had Britain acted judiciously and truthfully in implementing the Partition Plan. No sane can rebuff that Kashmir is — even today — on the agenda of the UN Security Council as a dispute between India and Pakistan with its resolutions calling for a plebiscite under the aegis of the world body. Jack Straw’s comments about the Kashmiri freedom fighters are — hence — obnoxious and deplorable as the Kashmiris are currently engaged in an indigenous struggle against India’s illicit occupation of their lovely homeland — that too — after waiting for a long time towards the realization of the pledges given to the people of Jammu & Kashmir — at diverse forums with UN atop - about their birth right of self-determination.

It is illogical to call the Kashmiris as ‘terrorists ‘.Such a perception is nothing except an act of deceit which visibly projects the moral bankruptcy of the British Foreign Secretary. Anyone — including Jack Straw — who thinks on these iniquitous lines, must recognize that the valiant people in Indian Held Kashmir are engaged in a bona fide resist to bring the era of despotism to a permanent end by smashing the fetters of the Indian tyrannical rule, at all costs. Let there be no mix-up about this ground reality. Straw’s brazen assertion about ‘cross-border terrorism’ — prima facie — is a cognizant attempt to incite India to commit aggression against Pakistan, contrary to the affirmed intent of his voyage to the subcontinent which was perceptibly meant ‘to ease the on-going risky course.’

The story about the sale of Hawks to India validates perceptions that Jack Straw had not come to the South Asian region to get a better acquaintance of the military stand-off between India and Pakistan, but to ignite a conflagration. We are mindful of the inherent British ‘traditional love’ for India but cannot allow its outright tilt towards New Delhi in such a fashion — first and foremost in the wake of the intensity of the scenario – which is engulfed by the crisis with outsized potential of stern perils.
It is thus hoped that the glamorous British empire shall — expectantly — review its latest choice for the sale of Hawks to New Delhi warlords at least till the time they pull their troops, amassed hysterically along borders and on the LoC to the peacetime situates and getting onto the table of talks with Pakistan — which has time and again — put up a valid hint for a purposeful dialogue — any time, any level and any place, a crystal-clear icon for Pakistan’s love for peaceful settlement of the issues in place of a brawl.

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Editor-in-Chief: MUMTAZ HAMID RAO