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Jawed Naqvi
INDIA’S home minister says there can’t be any talks with Pakistan until peace comes to Jammu and Kashmir first.
It’s not clear if he was posturing as politicians often do or stating it as conviction common with India’s right-wing nationalists. The backdrop to the comments is the three-phase assembly elections scheduled in Jammu and Kashmir from Sept 18, which Home Minister Amit Shah is keen to win for his party.
Not talking to Pakistan till peace returns to violence-wracked Kashmir makes for a strange argument to keep aloof from an important, in fact, a critical neighbour. It’s particularly strange coming from a country that purports to be working for peace in a distant conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
How could there be peace without talking to key stakeholders in the European theatre? It’s interesting nevertheless that India flaunts an appetite for resolving disputes abroad (not excluding Sri Lanka and the Maldives) while rejecting friendly offers from world capitals to help in its perpetually troubled ties with Pakistan.
Of course, there are those in India’s ruling pack that believe there’s nothing to talk to Pakistan about. The only dispute, they say, is India’s claim on Azad Kashmir, which the Rao government had formalised through a parliamentary resolution in the 1990s. Even that claim needs talks, right? Or, as some ardent nationalists dream, the army would do the job. It’s this kind of alarming rubbish that former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo referred to in his memoirs. He got a midnight call about a crisis that broke out in 2019 between India and Pakistan. Pompeo called it a terrifying stand-off between nuclear neighbours.
To stay with the argument, could Russia and Ukraine sort out their differences without addressing the interests of the Russian-speaking population of Donbas? Could the people of Donbas find peace without reference to the warring sides? Apart from the tautological infirmity in Shah’s logic, there is grudging admission of a resounding failure wrought on hapless Kashmiris and, in fact, on the entire country. Team Modi had overreached its capacity to resolve burning domestic problems.
Step back a bit. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrecked India’s economy on Nov 8, 2016, with his disastrous move to demonetise 80 per cent of the country’s currency, he took the plea that it would rein in terrorism. One could quibble over Modi’s definition of terrorism, but that is what he said. People for better or worse agreed to heed the claim at the time, and they obviously suffered for it. Their suffering hadn’t ended, however, when Modi wrecked the state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, claiming that breaking it up and removing its special status guaranteed by the Indian constitution was another means towards ending terrorism.
Five years after heaping misery on the people, and after countless innocent lives were lost, people maimed and jailed, Shah indicated last week that he still hadn’t succeeded in bringing peace to the region. Reports quoted him as telling BJP workers in Jammu that terrorism, a description for armed resistance against Indian rule, was only 70pc tamed in 10 years of Modi rule, whatever the faux statistics mean.
Shah also said that the special status could never again be restored to the state, and described opposition statements that all Kashmiri parties would work towards that end as vacuous. Assembly elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir together with state polls in BJP-ruled Haryana, abutting Delhi. Elections in Jharkhand and BJP-ruled Maharashtra are also pending. The dismantled state of Jammu and Kashmir is currently only a union territory, in the way that Delhi is. J&K wasn’t. The Modi government says it is committed to restoring statehood to J&K but without the special rights, and sans the region of Ladakh, which was detached from it in the Aug 2019 move.
Most Kashmiri parties in the electoral fray are keen to see the feeble attempt at restoring democracy in the state as a potential harbinger of peace to end their exacerbated suffering under Modi’s rule. If Shah has his way, he will install a BJP-led government in the Muslim-majority region. It would serve no intrinsic purpose though since the BJP is already ruling Kashmir with the help of its hand-picked lieutenant governor, a veritable viceroy representing Delhi. But the symbolism of a win would help the ruling party score brownie points in the face of possible defeat in the other state polls.
The way the chips are stacked, a BJP victory could yet be the outcome in J&K. The Congress has aligned with the National Conference of former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, but another member of the India-wide opposition alliance, the PDP of Mehbooba Mufti, is going on its own. On the other hand, a party set up by the jailed and newly elected MP Engineer Rashid is leading the charge against the BJP.
In the multi-cornered melee, the BJP could emerge as the single largest party, and the lieutenant governor would be well within his rights to invite it to form government. The visuals of a Hindu nationalist party ruling predominantly Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir would lend a degree of heft to the celebrations in 2025 of 100 years of the foundation of the RSS. Wrecking the special status of Kashmir has long been a key quest for Hindutva groups.
Given the state of affairs, what kind of relationship could one foresee for India with Pakistan in the near or distant future? When Jinnah was asked about Pakistan’s equation with India, he cited Canada and the United States as examples to follow. As for Gandhi, he was preparing to visit Pakistan on a peace mission when he was laid low by Hindutva conspirators whose sympathisers are ideologically connected with the party ruling India today. How shall we then contemplate peace ahead?
The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi.
jawednaqvi@gmail.com
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2024
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DAWN EDITORIAL
THE global superbug crisis — the rise of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics — is a ticking time bomb. A recent investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals the devastating impact it can have, with studies highlighting a potential death toll of 10m people annually by 2050.
Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, partly due to the widespread and unregulated use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are often sold over the counter without a prescription, allowing people to self-medicate without understanding the consequences.
Even when administered by healthcare professionals, antibiotics are sometimes prescribed without proper diagnostics, such as blood tests to determine whether the infection is bacterial. In many cases, doctors prescribe antibiotics for viral infections — where they are completely ineffective — further fuelling the rise of antibiotic resistance.
In Pakistan, where healthcare systems are strained, the surge in superbugs poses a significant threat. Patients infected with drug-resistant bacteria require more extensive and expensive treatments, placing an additional burden on an already overburdened healthcare system.
Addressing this crisis requires urgent action from multiple fronts. Public awareness campaigns are critical in educating people about the dangers of antibiotic misuse. Many individuals are unaware that taking the drugs for viral infections, like the flu, is not only ineffective but harmful, contributing to resistance. Campaigns should promote the importance of completing prescribed antibiotic courses to prevent the survival of partially resistant bacteria. There should be stricter regulations on the sale and prescription of antibiotics.
The rampant over-the-counter availability of antibiotics must be curbed to prevent further misuse. Additionally, healthcare providers need to be trained in responsible antibiotic prescribing practices. Doctors must avoid prescribing the drugs unless there is clear evidence of a bacterial infection.
By addressing the misuse of antibiotics and promoting responsible prescribing practices, Pakistan can take crucial steps to mitigate the threat of drug-resistant bacteria. A coordinated effort involving public awareness, regulatory action and healthcare reform is essential to avert a looming public health disaster.
Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2024
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