Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Modi scores over Sharif at UNGA' that was published in Newsband

Modi scores over Sharif at UNGA

New York speech by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has become a issue. It is the domestic politics of India and Pakistan that comes in the way of normalizing bilateral relations between the two countries.

Nawaz Sharif spoke at the United Nations about a plebiscite in Kashmir. The Pakistan Prime Minister’s determination to punish former Army chief Pervez Musharraf for the 1999 coup, and his avowed desire for friendly ties with India have compounded his insecurity. Sharif is trying to prove that he is not soft on India and that he sincerely wants peace with the Army.

It is encouraging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech at the General Assembly, avoided a slanging match with Sharif, and instead reiterated India’s desire for “serious dialogue” with Pakistan in an “atmosphere free of violence”.

Modi's speech at the United Nation General Assembly stands out from the speeches made by all previous Prime Ministers of India in that the confidence and pragmatism shown by Modi was of very high order. However, Indian leaders may try, the fact remains that it is Pakistan and Pakistan only that has to set its house in order first and create right atmosphere for talks with India. India has repeatedly been saying and doing all that is necessary for developing cordial relations with all its neighbours, but it cannot change Pakistan's mindset. That is the whole trouble with Pakistan.

A real effort needs to be made by the media also on both sides of the border to provide actual facts that can help challenge pre-conceived notions of hate. India should once and for all tell Pakistan to forget Kashmir since it’s an integral part of India.

So while his country burns with terrorism, civilians protesting with the leadership of Imran Khan and Qadri, the Pak army and ISI creating a failed state, all Sharif can think about is Kashmir. What a pathetic state of affairs, the once Indian territory of Pakistan has been ruined and the people now living there wish to snatch and ruin more land from India.

Sharif does want peace and cordial relations with neighbour India but can't do it freely as Pak army does not want this to happen. In fact, in Pakistan no politicians speak from his heart/mouth. They have to spill out whatever the Army or at least what the ISI put in their mouth.

When President Zardari took over as the Pak President, he was soft towards India, because he and every other Pakistanis know that without having a good relationship with the immediate neighbor, peace in any country is unthinkable. And he made a strong comment for the betterment of the ties and good relation with Pak and India. But within weeks, he came out stating that Pak is ready to fight a 1,000 year war with India. So do the teenager Bilawal in his recent comment that he will take away every inch from India of Kashmir.

It was former Prime Minister Nehru’s way of handling Kashmir that messed up the issue so much that it has become a cancer and India is still bleeding. Had he waited for a few more days as requested by the then commanders of Indian army, the present Pak Occupied Kashmir would have been recovered from Pakistan and the entire problem would have been solved then and there itself. But Nehru in pursuit of his ambition of being a world leader approached UNO against the advice of Sardar Patel and we are paying for this folly of Nehru.