India Should Realize the Seriousness of the Kashmir Issue
By Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore, Pakistan
Mr Arun Jaitely and the Indian government are mistaken when they ask Pakistan to either talk to India or the Kashmiri leadership. The fact is that Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable entities.
Actually, it is for the Indian government to accept the ground realities and decide between war and peace with Pakistani and Kashmiri people.
The Indian government should also be careful while addressing all issues with Pakistan, which it should not mistake for Bhutan or Nepal.
We Pakistanis know very well the true strength of India, which has failed to subdue Sri Lanka, where recently about a dozen Indian fishermen were awarded the death penalty.
Pakistanis also know that the United States has clearly told India that it can't be a permanent member of the UN Security Council unless it resolves the Kashmir problem with Pakistan.
So, the fact is that it is in India's own long-term strategic interest to be at peace with Pakistan; which obviously can't be achieved without resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.
Indian policy makers must, repeat must, be cognizant of the fact that it cannot gain anything by its newly adopted policy of verbal and military aggression. Pakistan is NOT made of the material which can be subjugated by India.
Mr Arun Jaitely, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
