hints for pak
    Date :04-Jul-2020

hints for pak_1 &nbs
 
AFTER the delay by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in issuing statement condemning the recent terror attack at the Karachi Stock Exchange, Pakistan should realise the changing mood of international community that chose a crafty but stark way of slow-walking the process of issuing statement in an apparent message for Mr. Imran Khan. The 24-hour delay in releasing the statement prepared by Pakistan’s best buddy China but stalled twice by Germany and the United States should serve warning for Pakistan that majority of the security council members disapprove of its continued support to terrorism. Though this time, Pakistan had to face the scourge of a terrorist attack that took innocent lives, it was denied a chance to play victim of terrorism. The image of the state being a leading state-sponsor of terrorism is too dark.
 
The mortification was a self-invited tragedy for Pakistan as it chose another wrong moment to pin the blame of the terror attack on India, itself a strong opponent of terrorism. The folly came on the heels of Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan’s self-goal of calling former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the 9/11 attacks on World Trade Center, a “martyr” during a parliament debate. Both the errors had come wrapped with grave consequences for Pakistan and despite the obvious eagerness of China to draft the press statement condemning the terror attack in Karachi, it was put on “purposeful” delay by Germany and the US to throw hints at Islamabad that it cannot on the one hand hail a terrorist like Laden as a hero and link India to the terror attack and on the other hand expect unequivocal condemantion of the attack against it.
 
The UN Security Council is always the first to issue statement against any terror activity around the world. Any member of the Council can start the process, in this case it was (understandably) China. The statement is put under a silence procedure under which if no member state raises any objection to the draft within a specified deadline, then it is considered adopted. Everything was as per the protocol this time too until Germany broke its silence and sought extension under the pretext of consulting the home government. It was clearly a ruse to slow down the process as the nation did not come back with any objection. The second to take the baton was the United States which further delayed the issuance of the statement.
 
The two delays had had their own connotations but the underlying message was clear for Pakistan. Mr. Khan’s puppet government had bitten more than it could chew and got the deserving rap on the knuckles. Germany and the US have been strong supporters of India getting a permanent seat in the UNSC as well as the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG). Both the processes are stuck at the Chinese hurdle. But the tide seems to be taking a silent turn in the recent past courtesy the heavy and classy diplomatic maneuvers by India to bag itself a place of pride in international geopolitics.
Pakistan is set for further more pinches if it continues the regular line of supporting terror and remaining a stooge of China. Despite all its efforts with China in the chair, Pakistan has failed to change the international opinion on it being a terror supporter. It continues to languish in the ‘grey’ list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sanctions against countries supporting money laundering to aid terror activities.
 
The country is sitting on a time-bomb with collapsing economy and living on international aid, mostly managed after the desperate runs by Mr. Khan to the Arab kings. Things could have taken the worse turn had the FATF put the country in the dreaded ‘black’ list but the coronavirus pandemic has come as a blessing in disguise for Pakistan to delay the inevitable. The drama in UNSC should deliver the message home to Islamabad as well as Rawalpindi, whose influence has gone up in all civilian matters in the past few months. Of course, expecting sense from the military generals is always a futile hope.