Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is confronting tough times on domestic and international fronts in the midst of election time arriving at a critical juncture. Consecutive election defeats in some provinces have upturned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trudge on the road to one more election win as opposition parties are mending fences and going to put a strong challenge to Modi. While the chips were down, Narendra Modi perceived a chance in wake of Pulwama attack and within hours of the incident, his government blamed Pakistan for the attack without making any prior inquiry and having any evidence to support its claim. The world is quite alive to the scenario and is observing the whole thing. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is not in a position to harm Pakistan. Going back on Indus Water Treaty will have slight backing from any key power while it will not leave any dramatic effect which can influence voters in the elections due within less than four months. The renunciation of MFN status will prove unproductive due to the immaterial quantum of India-Pakistan trade. Any effort to isolate Pakistan globally would be unsuccessful as Pakistan has close ties with China while its relations with Russia are warming up. The US doesn’t want to irritate Pakistan while it is playing a key role in arranging talks between the US and Afghan Taliban. Subsequent to the Indian threat following Pulwama attack, the brief and concise address to the nation made by Prime Minister Imran Khan was an excellent response. The message of peace and cooperation from Islamabad was received well by the diplomatic community and it took steam out of the Indian rhetoric. The recent visit of Saudi Crown Prince to India provided a litmus test for the fruitful diplomatic overtures Pakistan has made of late. Despite provocative media interactions and official meetings, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to even win a single comment from Saudi Crown Prince and his team to play on Pakistan. The statement of US President Donald Trump was icing on the cake who asked India and Pakistan to scale down the state of affairs and resolve all issues through dialogue. India has no proof to back its claim. Modi government’s knee jerk reaction to blame Pakistan is standard Indian line of attack and therefore it has zero reliability. Pulwama attack was 100 percent local act resulting from inhuman massacre by Indian army. A fabricated narrative cannot be sustained for long. Kashmiris are struggling for their genuine rights. India’s hateful and egocentric Kashmir policy has ultimately been exposed.
India must know it can delay freedom of Kashmiris but cannot deny them their right to self-determination forever.
