Healthy voices in Pakistani society, including the Pakistani diaspora in the United States, have called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States in the third week of June historic and a great success, admitting that the India has also joined the league of great powers, even superpowers. During the visit, the United States and India clearly applauded each other. President Joe Biden’s banquet held in honor of the Prime Minister happens to be the yardstick by which these Pakistanis have gauged the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as that of India, dramatically increasing economic power and soft power. Pakistani analysts and observers envied the state banquet attended by around 400 eminent persons, including the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc., saying most of the businessmen and intellectuals were NRIs. For these observers and thinkers, the letter of the members of the American Congress on the alleged violations of human rights by India was insignificant in the American-Indian relations, because it is purely economic and commercial that counts. How can business-minded America side with Pakistan, which always approaches it begging? they wonder.
This rational layer of the Pakistani intelligentsia said that the state dinner, held at the White House under the supervision of the first lady, was a huge statement and display of Indian soft power, attended by all who matter in American industry. It was attended by prominent political leaders, business tycoons and prominent journalists. The wide-ranging list also included US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, who was named a highly controversial US State Department official by former Pakistani Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Prior to his government’s removal through a no-confidence vote in April 2022, Imran alleged that Lu had asked the Pakistani establishment, through then-Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majid, to remove him from power. . The Pakistani intelligentsia believe that Pakistanis can learn a lot from Prime Minister Modi’s highly successful visit, which was discussed positively everywhere, although some media articles criticized it.
India’s growing influence has been manifested in bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding, adding that bilateral relations between India and the United States are gradually reaching a higher level. He also acknowledged that apart from the Modi-Biden talks and the signing of agreements, the repeated applause and standing ovations from members of Congress during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to the US Congress was also unprecedented. However, Pakistani observers and intellectuals regretted that the paragraph of the joint statement issued after Prime Minister Modi and President Biden mentioned Pakistan in very negative terms. She focused on Pakistani terrorist groups like JeM and LeT, calling on Pakistan to take action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks.
Overseas Pakistanis, while displaying their fondness for Imran Khan, have urged the Pakistani government and politicians to get out of May 9 syndrome and said the joint statement is a toll on Pakistan’s dark diplomacy . Pakistani leaders failed to convince the United States on their behalf. Pak FM Bilawal Bhutto made 04 visits including a one-week visit. Despite his best efforts, he was not even able to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Bilawal Bhutto, despite being the son of Benazir, could not get much recognition. Pakistan must consider whether it should be diplomatic through knee-jerk reaction or convince other countries through diplomacy that their suspicions are unfounded. Instead of the Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s Defense Minister is fighting on the diplomatic front. Pakistani leaders need to know that the world will take them seriously when they do. Pakistan must become a democratic nation because it is common in the West that there is an undeclared dictatorship. Pakistani relations with the United States are at their final stage. There should be constitutional democracy and rule of law in the country.
The Jang daily said the joint statement issued after Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden constitutes an indictment of Pakistan’s involvement in terrorism. This is in fact indicative of their strategy to further increase Pakistan’s difficulties. The United States has decided to give a special role to India to counter the growing influence of Russia and China in the region. However, prominent analyst Imtiaz Alam, a regular columnist for Jang, calls the Prime Minister’s visit a major strategic step in international and regional geostrategic relations. During the Prime Minister’s address to Congress, attendees clapped 75 times and gave 15 standing ovations. The new beginning in Indian-American relations during the Bush Jr. era entered a major strategic era. These bilateral relations are suited to both the economic and security challenges of China, the United States and India, he added.
Alam said the India-US partnership will have a huge impact on Pakistan. While ignoring the human rights violations in India and the ongoing crackdown in Kashmir, the condemnation of Pakistan’s alleged cross-border terrorism by the United States in concert with India is a worrying thing for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. and the Pakistani Ministry of Defence. However, it is in Pakistan’s interest to get rid of the terrorist threat. Pakistan, while taking a bold diplomatic initiative, should invite the United States to a common fight against terrorism. It will have to normalize its relations with India by adopting a realistic approach. It should resume its efforts for peace agreements with India, including a workable settlement of the Kashmir issue.
Fervent anti-India Urdu daily Nawai Waqt said it was very surprising that at a time when protests against India’s crackdown on minorities were unfolding outside the White House and around the world, the Washington administration did not did not just honor the Prime Minister of India with the utmost protocol. but allegations of patronizing terrorists were also made against Pakistan in the joint statement. That President Biden reiterates vague and baseless Indian allegations and transfers military technology to India to promote his war phobia speaks to US dual politics. An article in the daily Dunya likes to say that former US President Barack Obama, during the visit of the Prime Minister, said that India could fragment because of communal riots.
In addition to the vernacular press, hostile elements and Islamists, including the JeI, have called the US and India’s demand that Pakistan should eliminate terrorism very ridiculous, alleging that the two countries are seen as champions of trampling on human rights and individual liberty. . Describing Pakistan as a victim of terrorism, they alleged that it was India which on the one hand made life difficult for minorities, especially Muslims, while on the other hand it was implicated in the encouragement and sponsorship of terrorist organizations like the TTP, BLA and other Baloch insurgent groups. Indian agencies are involved in the Dasu terrorist attack and have formed a cell to sabotage CPEC. The White House’s growing affection for Modi is aimed at curbing China’s growing influence in the region.
JeI Amir Sirajul Haq, addressing a public meeting in Mardan on June 24, called the joint statement contrary to fact and criticized FM Bilawal’s vague statement. He said that Pakistan and its people are forced to face such a day due to the cowardly statements of the Pakistani leadership, who could not utter even a single word for the return of Dr Afia Siddiqui. . They handed Kashmir to India on a platter. Former JeI PoK Emir Abdur Rashid Turabi has said the evil statement against Pakistan at the behest of Narendra Modi is cause for concern. Supporting Modi is equivalent to supporting Hitler II. Why did Joe Biden forget that India has killed a million Kashmiri over the past 30 years. The United States should not view all Muslim countries through Indian and Israeli eyes. It is unfair to issue such statements after ignoring Indian brutalities in Kashmir and Modi’s efforts to promote the RSS agenda against Muslims and other minorities in India.
The PoK President and Prime Minister said that the United States and India, by strengthening their bilateral relations, want to downgrade China. They seem to welcome the boycott by members of the US Congress and Barack Obama’s statement about India’s disintegration due to Prime Minister Modi’s extremist policies. They say the international community is well aware of the gross human rights abuses in Kashmir and India’s crackdown on minorities. Condemning the joint declaration, the PoK leaders announce as usual the commitment of Kashmiris not to reject the so-called liberation struggle.
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