Imran Khan & Modi: The UNGA Standoff

On 27^th Sept, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, addressed the 74th session of UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) for about 15 minutes & was followed - a few speakers later - by his bete noire, Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan who consumed about 50 minutes; while the former stuck to a prepared text, the latter, went extempore – at times – leading to a faux pas of calling Modi “President”.

Modi, reminded the audience of the 150^th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, that falls this year, Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address of “Harmony, Peace & No Dissension”, in 1893, in the World’s Parliament of Religions, Indian contributions & sacrifices to UN Peacekeeping forces & the fact that India gave the world Buddha & not wars to buttress India’s peaceful credentials. Perhaps, this was in anticipation of Khan’s likely diatribe on India destabilizing the region & inching towards war. Invoking a Tamil poet, Kaniyan Pungundranar, was as much for his message as to soothe the domestic constituency of non-Hindi speaking Indian states’ concerns, on Hindi imposition, post Amit Shah’s controversial national language call on Hindi day.

Modi recounted his achievements since 2014, when he was first elected: 110 million toilets; 5 lakh insurance cover under a universal health scheme; 370 million new bank accounts; bio-metric, digital identification system & saving of over $20 billion thereof as reasons for his re-election vide an increased mandate, in 2019, & his intention of providing 150 million households with safe tap drinking water & building 0.15 million kilometer roads, during the next 5 years. This appeared more a nudge to the world to accept him as a representative of the world’s largest democracy, perhaps, expecting a personal attack from Khan vide invocation of the Gujarat riots, of 2002 & an attempt at besmirching his reputation thereof. Had Modi invoked the 17 “Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) passed by the UN, in 2015, to be achieved by 2030, as a prefix to his laundry list of achievements, he could not have invited charges of self aggrandizement.

Modi mentioning India's leadership in launching a “International solar alliance” & “Coalition for International Disaster Resilience Infrastructure” were apt, though - a soft push for gaining membership at the high table. He emphasized on the need to tackle "terror" even while avoiding naming Pakistan.

Khan focused on 4 issues: Climate change; siphoning off of money by Pakistani elite & the need for an international alliance to reduce money laundering; Islamophobia & Kashmir. He traced the genesis, of Islamophobia, to 9/11 & the marginalization of Muslims thereof; suicide attacks was largely practiced by "Hindu" Tamil Tigers in Sri-Lanka & the Japanese Kamikaze pilots during WWII earlier, he reminded & pleaded sensitivity in references to the Prophet ala "holocaust" references in Europe.

Khan claimed victimhood - loss of 70,000 lives, in his country, due to war on terror, post 9/11 & argued that the “West especially US” funded “Freedom fighters” in Afghanistan whom the Soviets called “terrorists” basically underscoring that one country's "terrorists" are another country's "freedom fighters"; he emphasized that terror groups have been dismantled in his country & invited UN observers, to Pakistan, for verification - a step clearly aimed at escaping the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) sanctions; the UN would be better advised holding him to his promise & calling his bluff. Though blaming the "West" for Pakistan's Jihadist policies, would definitely invite some rebuke - from those at the receiving end - it appears strategically aimed to invite smiles in China & perhaps Russia too.

Showcasing himself as a dove, Khan recalled that while Pakistan downed 2 Indian planes during the Pulwama standoff, he had returned the captured Indian pilot for the sake of peace, but was unfortunately, rebuffed. His figures on Kashmir were damning: 9 lakhs troops controlling 8 million Kashmiri Muslims, 13000 boys arrested & deported outside the state & political leaders incarcerated; they would rise in protest once curfew is revoked, he predicted & the consequent further suppression would lead to a “bloodbath” even while Pakistan would be, incorrectly, blamed. 180 million Indian Muslims, watching Kashmir events unfold, would get “radicalized” he opined. India uses the term “Islamic terror” & the world forgets “Human Rights” he summarized & pleaded for an UN intervention to avoid confrontation between two nuclear armed nations whose conflict would have consequences beyond the borders, a more subtle aim at “nuclear blackmail” unlike more overt threats earlier. He chastised the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) - the fountainhead of Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) for being inspired by Hitler & Mussolini with an aim of "ethnic cleansing" & for achieving "racial superiority"; they hate Muslims for the Muslim rule & Christians for the British rule he rued - a clever attempt at pitching the Muslim & Christian nations together against a "Hindu" India. Fortunately, for India, Pakistan's record, on protection of minorities, does not inspire global confidence. Not alluding to the Muslim Uighur persecution in concentration camps, in Xinjiang, China, or Saudi inflicted carnage in Yemen, but selective outrage on Kashmiri Muslims alone. smacks of partisanship & liable to be called out.

It is logical to assume that Indian diplomats, at the UN, would invoke their "Right to Reply" & highlight the pettiness of Khan's pronouncements & the absurdity of Pakistan attempting to occupy a "moral high ground", on terror, especially when 130 UN designated terrorists & 25 terrorist entities are ensconced on its soil.  

Despite Indian diplomats playing down Khan’s rhetoric & Indian TV channels depicting him as ‘Im the Dim”, the Kashmir message would find takers in the International community & that perhaps, explains why NSA (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval is back in the valley & Foreign Minister, Jaishankar could, perhaps, be more busy globetrotting. China is Pakistan’s “Iron brother” while Trump is offering “mediation”, though with the caveat, “only if both the parties agree” while UK & Russia are playing “cats on the wall” with France being our only unflinching supporter among the permanent members of the UN Security Council; perhaps that explains why there is a talk about India buying 2 more squadrons (36 planes) of Rafale over & above the 36 already contracted.

Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh & others have been raising war cries on concluding the unfinished agenda of partition which, undoubtedly, would deliver them outstanding dividends during the impending state elections but could also attract international opprobrium.  It might be prudent to tone down the rhetoric to prevent Pakistan from occupying a high moral ground. Khan's personal attacks on Modi forecloses the possibility of an Indo-Pak detente, during the remaining part of their democratic tenures, implying that not all shall be quiet, on the western front, for quite some time.

The knotty issue of Kashmir, perhaps, has only 2 solutions: give Kashmir greater autonomy – a pre-1953 status – as advocated by people like the former Finance & Home Minister, P Chidambaram, a view which lacks unanimity, even within the Congress Party, with young Turks like Jyotiraditya Scindia, supporting the government’s move, reflecting popular sentiment; or make J&K a union territory, side line soft-separatists among the politicians & bureaucracy & help Indian loyalists in the valley gain voice & ascendancy for better integration with the mainland. The latter stratagem has overwhelming domestic support & hence the need to surge forward on the same even while working consciously on a “healing touch” in the valley & checkmating international attempts at intervention.