Washington:  Let India and Pakistan approach us to mediate!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff

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Very close on the heels of a positive signal from UN chief Ban Ki Moon declaring his willingness to mediate between India and Pakistan if they are willing for genuine peace in the region, the US super power that unsuccessfully mediates between an arrogant Israeli regime and besieged Palestinians, has repeated what the UN supremo said the previous day.  

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said if both India and Pakistan make requests to us to intervene he would do the needful and as it stands the UN has nothing new to add on Kashmir issue. As it stands no such request has come to UN head quarters from both. The UN chief added that he would use his "good offices" to help India and Pakistan mend fences – again only if both countries requested it.

India wants to solve the bilateral problems with its neighbors in its own way. New Delhi maintains that any issues between India and Pakistan, if at all any, should be resolved by them without any third party involvement, including UN or USA.

India also claims that Jammu Kashmir remains an integral part of India and there cannot be any debate on that as New Delhi does not like even to discuss the issue while Kashmiris get killed by Indian occupation forces almost on daily basis.

Washington also says it would only engage in India-Pakistan peace process if both countries jointly ask President Obama to mediate and find a lasting solution to the vexed problem. 

India and Pakistan are nuclear powers of South Asia that seek to use their nuke arsenals both as a threat and deterrent to avoid a nuclear war.  

However, the USA has categorically ruled out any role for itself in Indo-Pak peace process unless both the countries jointly ask for it. White House officials asserted that the best way to resolve issues is through direct dialogue between the two neighbours.

President Barack Obama and his interlocutors discussed with the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his team the situation in the LoC (Line of Control). Pakistan has often made a request for the United States to be engaged in it. During the meeting Obama affirmed the US commitment that “we would be engaged only if this is something that India and Pakistan would like”.  "This has been a reiteration of the continued policy of the United states for both countries to work out these issues bilaterally and of course we and other countries would be willing to provide facilitating and other supporting role if India and Pakistan together ask for," the official added.

American bureaucrats insist that there is no change in any foreign policy of the United States.  The official, requesting anonymity, did acknowledge that it has received set of dossiers from Pakistan on alleged Indian activities in parts of Pakistan.

In the meeting with Secretary of State, John Kerry on 21 October, the US official said,  Pakistan Prime Minister did share, hand over written material relating to certain concerns that Pakistan has about security in the region. "As the Secretary underscored, the best way to resolve issues is through direct dialogue between the two neighbors. We stand ready to support such dialogue in any way we can”, the official said.

US position now is that a dialogue between India and Pakistan, the parameters of which, it is for India and Pakistan to work out. Washington claims that it  is not the policy of the US to try to influence or try to set terms or otherwise even make recommendations for how that dialogue should take place. "We just hoped that India and Pakistan do have a dialogue, normalize relations and work together to move the peace in the region and prosperity of the respective countries," the official said, adding that there is no US shift towards India or Pakistan. “This is our policy for many years," the official said, "there is no tilt towards any country. The US has very important relationship towards India and Pakistan. They stand on their own. They are not zero some. USA has global interest and has interest in peace and stability in the region," the official added.

 India is yet to respond to the suggestions made by both UN and USA. However, India has already made it position clear to the world, especially on Kashmir which it claims to be an integral part of India.  India says it can have cross border trade relations with Pakistan without discussing the Kashmir issue, which, according to New Delhi’s strategists, is closed once for all. India considers Pakistani concern for Kashmir unnecessary and unwarranted because, they say, such an attitude creates irritation in India.

Pakistan keeps raising the Kashmir issue in the UN, disregarding Indian objections.  It appeasers, neither the USA nor the UN is aware of the simple fact that Jammu Kashmir which India and Pakistan share by illegally occupying it, does not belong to India or Pakistan. Jammu Kashmir was a sovereign nation in the Himalayas until India and Pakistan invaded and occupied according to  their individual military might  and as per the usual British  conspiracy to create tensions in the region which it had ruled until ousted by the force of freedom movement.   

Pakistan created Azad Kashmir out of the lands it occupied from Jammu Kashmir, while India converted the Kashmiri lands it occupied and created a new state called Jammu & Kashmir within India. 

While India has murdered over 100,000 Kashmiris (Muslims) in trying to silence them from seeking sovereignty, Pakistan has not been so ruthless since there are no freedom agitations in Azad Kashmir for ceding from Pakistan. 

Kashmiri families are separated between LOC and many of have disappeared from Indian side of Kashmir and UN has not even bothered to find out where have they disappeared. Later secret grave yards were discovered in Kashmir valley.

Peace or war, both India and Pakistan do not want to lose both their parts of Kashmir and their respective nukes which they value more than well being of the people.  Both say they don’t want big powers, like USA, to steal their nukes or take them away on the pretext of terrorists laying their hands on them or citing explosive regional tensions.  The problem is both had to sacrifice a lot for obtaining costly nukes as their legitimate rights at par with USA or Russia or special state called Israel which is allowed by IAEA, UN, NATO, UNSC, Russia and USA to maintain illegal nukes and  threatened Arab nations, especially Palestine.

Corporate lords, corporate intelligence and cricket mafias in India as well as Pakistan think cricketism can being both nuclear nations together and now they are pushing for joint cricket exercises in Dubai by sharing 100s and 50s by favorite batboys. They had played cricket before and fought wars. More they play the bogus cricket just for a few 100 runs by mutual understanding - as India and South Africa are doing in Indian towns (from September to December) - worse their relations would be.  

The cause of their conflict is a serious crime committed by them against humanity by invading and occupying a peaceful nation - Jammu Kashmir - as soon as both got independence from Britain. The problem cannot be solved without surrendering sovereignty back to Kashmiris.

It is time the UN stepped in to resolve the crisis and let Kashmiris live peacefully as legitimate citizens of Kashmir.  Already Indian forces have killed as many Kashmiris as they could - most of them are Muslims. Not only India seeks to silence the Kashmiris seeking freedom, but also India uses the genocides of Kashmiri Muslims to appease the Hindus in India.

It is, therefore, ridiculous on part of UN to believe that India and Pakistan with huge arsenals of nukes and other arms – meant for retaining Kashmir- would approach the UN to find a common language and resume better relations peacefully. Cross border fires between the nuclear powers surrounding Jammu Kashmir, continue to terrorize the Kashmiris on either side of the LOC.

It is time the UN stepped in to resolve the crisis and let Kashmiris live peacefully as legitimate citizens of Kashmir.  Already Indian forces have killed over 100, 000 Kashmiris, most of them are Muslims. Not only India seeks to silence the Kashmiris seeking freedom, but also India uses the genocides of Kashmiri Muslims to appease the Hindus in India.

UN should without losing time must come out with a credible formula to help Kashmiris, India and Pakistan to understand one another and rewrite their common history for a bright future for all of them.  

And certainly they cannot improve ties not by playing joint cricket exercises. There should be sincere intention to mend ways and stabilize relations between and among neighboring nations. 

India and Pakistan must seize the opportunity provided by USA and UN and try to solve the issues and begin a new leaf in bilateral relations.

South Asia requires peace and stability and India-Pakistan should stop terrorizing Kashmiris.