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WASHINGTON: Hundreds of news stories and in-depth analyses have appeared in the American media since Feb 14, when a suicide bombing at Pulwama in India-held Kashmir triggered the latest India-Pakistan crisis. Nearly all highlighted the centrality of the Kashmir dispute in the India, Pakistan conflict.
The Washington Post said “the India-Pakistan relationship is facing the most serious escalation in decades".
“This is where a nuclear exchange is most likely. It’s not North Korea,” warned The New York Times. “Tensions have cooled between India and Pakistan ... but their nuclear arsenals mean unthinkable consequences are always possible.”
Take a look: Shun the TV, stop a war
However, none of them go as in-depth as historian Chitralekha Zutshi writing a commentary titled ‘Kashmir conflict is not just a border dispute between India and Pakistan’ for Channel News Asia (CNA)published on its website on Sunday.
“The desire for autonomy in different areas of Kashmir has led to repeated uprisings and independence movements,” she writes.
She notes that among the uprisings and movements happening in Kashmir now, “the most prominent is a violent insurgency against Indian rule in the Kashmir Valley that began in 1989 and has continued, in ebbs and flows, over the past three decades.” She points out that thousands have been killed in this conflict while the Kashmir Valley “has become a militarised zone, effectively occupied by Indian security forces”.
Referring to a United Nations report, she writes: “Indian soldiers have committed numerous human rights violations there, including firing on protesters and denying due process to people arrested.”
She warns that while tensions in Kashmir may have subsided, the root causes of violence there have not. “In my assessment, the Kashmir dispute cannot be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan alone — even if the two countries were willing to work together to resolve their differences,” she writes, advocating an open debate on the issue, which also recognises and debates the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Islamabad has decided to raise the issue of violations of the Line of Control, as well as its international boundary by India at the 14th plenary session of the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC).
According to a press release issued by the National Assembly, Speaker Asad Qaiser has nominated a parliamentary delegation, led by Kashmir Committee Chairman Syed Fakhar Imam, to highlight Indian atrocities in Kashmir while representing Pakistan at the PUIC plenary session being held in Rabat, Morocco from March 10-14, 2019.
"Pakistan’s delegation will apprise the 54-member PUIC forum about the continued violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity by India, which has brought the region to the brink of war and devastation," read the statement.
It added that the delegation will take the forum into confidence on steps taken by the government of Pakistan to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Following the instructions of the NA speaker, two resolutions — one on the situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and one on according protection of Muslim women and children in the area under conflict — have been included on the agenda items of the conference.
A new biography by a Dutch journalist claims that the United States and its allied government in Kabul were incorrect when they said that Taliban founder Mullah Omar had died in Pakistan, as the renowned Taliban leader never visited Pakistan after 2001.
Writer Bette Dam says in her Dutch-language book Searching for the Enemy that Omar — whose personality and presence always remained shrouded in mystery, particularly after the United States' invasion in Afghanistan — lived within walking distance of US bases in Afghanistan for years.
A summary of some of the book's findings have been published in English by the newly-launched Zomia think tank under the title Secret Life of Mullah Omar.
'A virtual hermit'
According to the author, she got her information from Jabbar Omari — Mullah Omar’s bodyguard from the moment he vanished in Kandahar until his death in 2013.
Dam says that she triangulated his interviews with Omari through sources with knowledge of Mullah Omar’s whereabouts to piece together his life after the 9/11 attacks.
The book reveals the Taliban chief lived as a virtual hermit, refusing visits from his family and filling notebooks with jottings in an imaginary language.
The new book highlights embarrassing failures of American intelligence and makes it clear that contrary to US claims, Mullah Omar appeared more as a spiritual leader among the Taliban ranks after the US invasion and didn't lead armed activities against US forces.
In the introduction published in English, Dam says, "As I show in my book, during the US-and-Pakistan-backed 'jihad' against the Soviet occupation, Mullah Omar went only twice to Pakistan: once to a Quetta hospital to treat his wounded eye, and the other time also to Quetta, to collect weapons after an internal conflict in his mujahideen group."
Omar never lived in Pakistan
According to the book, Mullah Omar never lived in Pakistan. Instead, he spent the remainder of his life in two small villages in the remote, mountainous province of Zabul.
The book says Omar used to listen to the BBC's Pashto-language news broadcasts in the evenings, but rarely commented on developments in the outside world.
He maintained his reticence even when he learned about the death of al-Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden.
Almost caught twice
Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001 which led to the fall of the Taliban, the US put a $10 million bounty on Omar and he went into hiding in a small compound in the regional capital Qalat, Dam writes.
The family living at the compound were not told of the identity of their mystery guest, but US forces almost found him twice. At one point, a US patrol approached as Omar and Omari were in the courtyard. Alarmed, the two men ducked behind a pile of wood, but the soldiers passed without entering the premises. A second time, US troops even searched the house but did not uncover the concealed entrance to his secret room. It was not clear if the search was the result of a routine patrol or followed a tip-off.
Omar decided to move when the US started building Forward Operating Base Lagman in 2004, just a few hundred metres from his hideout.
He later moved to a second building. Soon afterwards, the Pentagon constructed the Forward Operating Base Wolverine close by. This base became home to 1,000 US troops, with American and British special forces sometimes based there.
Despite his fear of being caught, Omar did not move again. He rarely went outside and often hid in tunnels when US planes flew over.
According to Dam, Omar would often only talk to his guard and cook, and used an old Nokia mobile phone, without a sim card, to record himself reciting verses from the Holy Quran.
Omar's Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, and have waged an insurgency in the country since then.
Omar, who delegated effective Taliban leadership after 2001, appears to have acted as more of a spiritual leader, and the militant movement kept the news of his death in 2013 secret for two years.
Opposition leader and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat jail and inquired about the latter's health.
Speaking to media after the meeting, Bilawal said it was "sort of a historical day" for him as his grandfather, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, as well as various PPP workers, had served time as political prisoners in the same jail.
"I was very sad that a person who has remained the prime minister of the country three times [is again incarcerated here]. It is 2019, and yet another prime minister is serving a sentence in Kot Lakpat jail," the PPP chairman regretted.
Bilawal said he had come to inquire about Nawaz's health because he had heard that the former premier was unwell and over the past few weeks the PML-N and Nawaz's daughter Maryam Nawaz had issued "concerning statements" regarding his health.
He said that though there are political differences between the two parties, the PPP and every individual should follow the cultural and religious values which dictate that a Muslim who is unwell should be visited and inquired after.
"I believe our religion and culture hold such traditions and our leaders should also first be humans and then leaders," Bilawal said adding: "I believe that such injustice should not take place with anyone, not even with an average prisoner."
He said that no one should be disrespected; especially when a prisoner was unwell, it is the obligation of the government and leaders to provide them with the best medical treatment.
The PPP chairman noted that an individual with a heart ailment should not be put under further stress, and described this as a type of "torture".
"I was very sad when I saw Mian sahib; he was looking quite unwell," he said.
Bilawal said he had requested the former premier that health should be everyone's priority, and told him that they were also praying for his health and hoping it would improve.
While noting that the PPP and PML-N have a long history and may not agree politically on certain things, when it came to health and humanity, the PPP demands that Nawaz is provided with the best treatment and added that he should be provided with whatever treatment he asks for.
"I hope the prime minister and his government think on humanitarian grounds," the PPP chairman said.
He noted that it did not send a "good message for Pakistan" at a time when there was an environment of war with India, and Pakistan was going to places and talking about human rights and democracy.
"It becomes difficult for us when a three-time prime minister is in jail and is unwell," Bilawal said and added that he believed that as far as health was concerned, the government should do whatever the prime minister feels is "appropriate" and added "it would be best if the government follows these things".
In response to a question about whether the Charter of Democracy (CoD) could be seen as the basis for today's meeting, the PPP chairman said that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had signed the CoD in 2006 and over the decades of doing politics what the two had learnt, they put the country in the right order.
He noted that the country could only function in a democracy and added that it was important to arrive at a code of conduct of how politicians should behave with each other.
Bilawal added that while the two parties had worked on elements on the CoD, it was their failure that the entire charter had not been implemented.
He said that the PPP believes that the basic principles of the CoD should be re-emphasised and the political challenges of today should also be discussed. He said solutions should be found to these challenges and while talking to other political parties in favour of democracy, a new document should simultaneously be prepared.
He re-emphasised that though he came to ask about Nawaz's health, they are politicians and they did discuss other matters including the CoD. Later, when asked again about what was discussed during the meeting, he said that they discussed the 2018 elections and the current government's role briefly, but the main focus was the former premier's health.
Bilawal also said reports about Nawaz searching for a deal or wanting to go to London were "people spreading conspiracies against Mian Sahib".
He noted that his father had spent eleven and a half years in jail and eventually been acquitted by the courts. However, during the time he [Zardari] spent in jail, there wasn't a single month where there were not reports that he had struck a deal with former president Gen Pervez Musharraf.
"Of course he [Nawaz] is unwell but I got no impression that there is a deal being made or Mian Sahib is ready to compromise. Mian Sahib is focused on his principles and, God willing, the PML-N will remain fixed on their principles," he said.
Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, also took to Twitter to thank the PPP chairman for his "thoughtfulness and kind gesture" of visiting her father.
On Saturday, Bilawal had formally requested the interior ministry to allow him to meet Shairf in jail.
The PPP chairman was quoted as saying at a party meeting on Sunday that his visit was "on humanitarian grounds" and had "nothing to do with politics".
“I have no political agenda for the meeting. Nawaz Sharif sahib is unwell and deserves suitable treatment facilities.”
PPP's Punjab president Qamar Zaman Kaira, however, had said that discussion on political issues cannot be ruled out when two noted political leaders meet.
“When the country is passing through such a critical situation, it’s impossible that politicians won’t exchange their views on it.” But, he clarified that it does not mean that they are carrying a political agenda for the meeting.
Kaira had said that PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari will be meeting Sharif and those accompanying Bilawal will be he himself (Kaira), Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Jameel Soomro and Hassan Murtaza.
He also refuted reports that the PPP is thinking about convening a multi-party conference.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US National Security Adviser John Bolton held a telephonic conversation on Monday to discuss the regional security situation following the Pulwama incident.
The purpose of the call, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Office (FO), was to provide Pakistan’s perspective on recent regional developments.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said that Indian aggression of Feb 26 was a violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as the UN Charter. He also said that Pakistan’s response a day later was purely in self-defence against external aggression.
The foreign minister informed Bolton about the de-escalatory measures taken by Pakistan, reminding him of Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to hand over the Indian pilot as a gesture of goodwill towards India and the country's desire to have peace and stability in the region.
The US official told Qureshi that he and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, despite being actively engaged in talks with North Korea, were monitoring the Pak-India situation and kept contact with the leadership of the two countries to ensure that the security situation in the South Asia region did not deteriorate.
He reportedly appreciated Pakistan's measures, which he said had helped lowering the tensions. He urged continued restraint on both sides.
The need for dialogue between Pakistan and India to find a peaceful resolution to all outstanding disputes was also emphasized, according to the FO press release.
Furthermore, Foreign Minister Qureshi cautioned against any future Indian misadventure, keeping in view the forthcoming elections across the border.
Bolton also appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process as both leaders agreed to work together to pursue the process.
An Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday put off the announcement of its judgement in a case regarding the deadly 2007 Samjhota Express bombing, The Hindu reported.
The verdict was deferred after a Pakistani woman filed a petition in the special court to have her statement recorded as a witness.
Rahila L Vakeel in her application claimed that she had some evidence relevant to the case, the Times of India (TOI) quoted a lawyer as saying.
The next hearing of the case will be held on March 14.
In February 2007, alleged Hindu extremists had bombed the Samjhota Express, killing 68 people, 42 of whom were Pakistanis.
The explosions had ripped through the train during its transit through Panipat on its way to Lahore from Delhi.
According to The Hindu, four accused in the case were presented for today's hearing amid tight security. They included the main accused, Naba Kumar Sarkar, better known by his nickname Swami Aseemanand.
Sunil Joshi, the alleged mastermind of the attack, was killed in December 2007, according to TOI. Three other accused remain at large and have been declared proclaimed offenders.
The final arguments in the case were concluded on March 6 and the judgement was reserved for March 11, the report added.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi warned on Monday about “war-mongering” by Indian journalists during the recent confrontation with Pakistan.
The Indian activist, who won the Nobel in 2014 with Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, has organised a joint statement signed by 71 other laureates calling for nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to defuse tensions after skirmishes at their border.
Discussing the crisis, Satyarthi expressed relief that the worst confrontation between the countries since they went to war in 1999 had “calmed down”, but he warned about the dangers of ultra-nationalism.
“Many people, not only ordinary people who are patriots and nationalists, but also the media suddenly crossed that line and started demanding fully fledged war,” Satyarthi told AFP in an interview in Paris.
“Sometimes they enjoy these kind of situations. It is very unfortunate,” he added.
“Luckily there are well-meaning people in journalism and politics who are working hard to de-escalate it, but there are a large number of people who crossed the line from patriotism to war-mongering.”
Last month, crisis gripped the region with the intrusion by Indian Air Force jets into Pakistani airspace following the killing of Indian troops in a suicide blast in India-occupied Kashmir.
Two intruding IAF jets were later downed by Pakistan and a pilot was captured, only to be released as a unilateral goodwill gesture that de-escalated tensions between the two countries.
At least two civilians including a woman were killed and four others injured when Indian troops resorted to "unprovoked" firing across the Line of Control (LoC), the military's media wing said in a statement on Monday.
The casualties were caused when Indian forces targeted the civilian population in Chakothi sector of Jhelum Valley district along the de facto border.
"Pakistan army troops responded effectively [by] targeting [the] Indian post which initiated [the] fire," read the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement.
The dead were identified as Noushad Bibi, a resident of Soka village, and Ghulam Hussain, who lived in Bakot village.
Four people identified as Raja Mehmood (r/o Darang More), Zahida Bibi (r/o Bari Bhaik), Ghulam Muhammad and Muhammad Zakir (r/o Bakot village) sustained injuries in the firing.
The casualties come a day after guns again started roaring along the restive LoC after a three-day lull. On Sunday, Indian firing had left a civilian dead and four others injured in Pandu, Chakothi and Khilana sectors of Jhelum Valley district.
The heavily militarised LoC that splits the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir between Pakistan and India had been very tense after Indian jets intruded into Pakistani airspace on February 26 and jettisoned their payload in Balakot. A day later, the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian jets in Bhimber district.
Since then, six civilians have been killed and around 40 others wounded in Indian shelling in different areas of AJK.
India and Saudi Arabia on Monday agreed to set up a "strategic partnership council" to deepen cooperation to combat terrorism.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir discussed the proposal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a brief visit to New Delhi on Monday, according to a statement issued by India's foreign ministry.
Without naming any country, Swaraj said “an immediate irreversible and verifiable action to dismantle terror infrastructure is essential to fight the menace of terrorism.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered intelligence sharing and other cooperation with India in fighting extremism and terrorism during his visit to New Delhi last month.
His visit came at a time of heightened tension between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan following a suicide attack on an Indian convoy of paramilitary forces in the Indian-occupied Kashmir that left 40 soldiers dead.
