The Plebiscite in POJK: How Can a PM be so Ignorant of History as Imran Khan is? Lalit K Kaul

 

The Plebiscite in POJK: How Can a PM be so Ignorant of History as Imran Khan is?

Lalit K Kaul

For all the claims of the PM of Pakistan that he knows about Europe and its culture more than the Europeans and that he does know the history of Uzbekistan because he is a student of history, he gives the impression that he does not know the history of his own country and the  regions under her occupation. Nothing sums up his ignorance about the history of the Indian sub continent more aptly than his declaration in the election rallies in the POJK that he will conduct referendum in the region to know the people’s preference between the two choices like, 1) the region’s merger with Pakistan and 2) being an independent nation state. 

Political Imperatives are not unconstrained:   

There is this possibility that the PM of Pakistan may be playing to the gallery in the hope of securing some more votes for his political party in the ensuing elections, but even then the bottom line is that a leader should be conscious of the kind of gathering he/she is addressing to in a political rally. To declare in a public rally in the POJK that he will conduct a referendum on its political status is to presume that the locals are ignorant of their history which, unfortunately for Sri Imran Khan, they are not. The PM by his declaration has not only betrayed his total ignorance about the region’s history, but also made a laughing stock of him.

Jurisdiction and Contradiction:  

The PM of Pakistan may stay informed that conducting referendum in POJK is not within his jurisdiction. Even if the issue of jurisdiction is shelved, to start with; the question that begs an answer is: How can a referendum on making a political choice be held in a region that Pakistan designates as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)? AJK implies an independent nation state because Azad is an Urdu word and when translated in to English means Independent. So, it can’t get more incongruous than proposing to conduct referendum in an independent nation state.

Else, the PM of Pakistan is conceding that the so called AJK is essentially under Pakistan’s siege and therefore it’s time to seek their opinion on their colonization by Pakistan in that they want to continue with the status quo or not.

Even if an honest political intent is granted to the PM of Pakistan yet calling for referendum in the POJK is beyond his purview and even a commoner expects the Pakistan PM to know that. Sadly enough, he does not seem to know it.

Army as the Political Adviser:    

Pakistan is a confused and chaotic nation where the Army (Establishment) indulgence is directing internal political dynamics; manipulating national elections to install puppet regimes that are just the front end with no say in their country’s affairs; making fortunes by owning near total commercial and business ventures and its officers on their retirement are worth billions of Pakistani Rupees / American Dollars; not competent enough to protect Pakistan’s borders as is borne by the history of her existence, but very adventurous at the tax payer’s cost.

It is the Establishment that directs the foreign policy of Pakistan and defines a narrative that the so called elected ones have to parrot. The J&K narrative is also invention of the Establishment and surely the Boss of the PM of Pakistan must have advised the latter to make such public declaration in the POJK as, indeed, he did.

In any case a PM who invents a common boundary between Japan and Germany; nothing much can be expected of him insofar as foreign affairs are concerned.

Credibility is the Issue:

No elections in Pakistan have ever been free and fair and this fact is publicly acknowledged by their learned and respected political commentators who even go to the extent of asserting that a government’s tenure is only as much as is liked by the Establishment and that’s the reason why nearly no party’s government could ever complete 5 years in office.

The Pakistani nationals are so fed up with the never ending electoral manipulations by the Establishment that a movement that demands “Vote Ko Izzat Do” is evolving and gaining strength by the day. Pakistani provincial and national assembly elections have no credibility in that they don’t reflect people’s choice as manipulating the election results is the mantra for installing a puppet regime. Under such circumstances, even if Pakistan is accorded the right to conduct referendum in the POJK, the outcome is known today no matter if referendum is held ten years hence or tomorrow. The whole world including the UN know the credibility of the election results in Pakistan and therefore no sensible/rational being would like to be a part of what essentially is going to be a farcical exercise. Rigging the elections is going to be a certainty as the Establishment would be in total command.

The Pakistan PM should know:  

Even if it is granted that the referendum would be conducted fairly yet the jurisdiction does not lie with Pakistani PM, because of the following reasons:

1.       The plebiscite (referendum) is to be conducted for the entire erstwhile princely state of J&K and this is to be done under the UN supervision

2.       The first condition for plebiscite to happen is that Pakistan must clear the area of J&K under its control of all the non residents who migrated from Pakistan including its military personnel. Pakistani military should have no trace/ foot prints in the said region. That it has been complied with by Pakistan is to be verifiable by concerned agencies. Once Pakistan conforms to the stipulations as laid down under the UN Resolutions India would be obliged to do her part. The UN after having satisfied itself would work out the logistics for the same including the dates on which such a referendum would be held.

Mr. PM of Pakistan, you may be informed that Pakistan violated the resolution by not complying with its requirements. No matter what intensity propaganda full of lies Pakistan may do she is not going to succeed in taking the whole world for a ride on the issue of J&K. The results of Pak’s propaganda combined with the four wars it thrust on India are there for every discerning person to see. Pakistan only ended up cutting herself into two in pursuit of her religious fervor seeking thousand cuts on India.

Post surrender of Pak’s army to her Indian counterpart, Shimla Agreement was signed between the then PMs of India and Pakistan that made UN resolutions redundant as the two nations decided to sort out all the issues mutually and bilaterally.

It is in the interest of Pakistan to stop fooling her own people by engaging in dramatics over the so called nonexistent issue of Kashmir as it was all about the erstwhile princely state of J&K as created by Pakistan by invading the territory much before Hari Singh could decide on the question of accession. Let Pakistan not flog the dead horse lest it may get flogged once again only to get further divided into multiple parts; the internal situation is already pointing towards her imminent break up.