Kanwal Sibal, in 2033 said “it is Pakistan’s annual itch,” referring to the “annual pilgrimage” that Pakistan makes to the UNGA.
In 2003, at the UN General Assembly session, soon after Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had delivered his speech, the then foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal held a briefing at a hotel for the Indian media.
It is an unwritten rule that Pakistani media is not allowed at Indian media briefings and the Indian media is not allowed at Pakistani media briefings which are held on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Many of us have attempted to gate crash, only to be politely led away.
In those days, India barely got any play in the American media.
General Musharraf was the toast of town. He was invited to TV shows, and New York Times and other American dailies featured his interview on their front pages. Our Prime Minister was largely ignored. Nobody reported on Prime Minister Vajpayee’s bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA, nor on his UNGA speech. It must have been frustrating for Indian external affairs ministry officials but they maintained a dignified silence.
Then one Indian reporter asked the foreign secretary, Kanwal Sibal, about General Musharraf’s interview to New York Times where he belligerently said that his overtures towards India were rebuffed, mentioned Kashmir and did his usual Musharraf-bombastic-talk.
Kanwal Sibal, snapped back with an “it is Pakistan’s annual itch,” referring to the “annual pilgrimage” that Pakistan makes to the UNGA to internationalise Kashmir.
We all got our headline 'the Pakistani itch'. For several years after that, most of us led our UNGA story with that headline, regardless of who the foreign secretary was and what he or she said. It was too good a punch line to let go. Kanwal Sibal has long retired. Atal Behari Vajpayee is no longer the Prime Minister. General Musharraf lives in a flat above a kebab joint in London.
But Pakistan’s annual itch persists. Rubbing the poor itch of its opinion, to paraphrase Shakespeare, Islamabad continues to make itself scabs.
Yesterday it was Pakistani foreign minister Hina Khar, who, in her inaugural UN general assembly address, raked up the issue of Kashmir. She said, “We look forward to resolving all outstanding issues including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is among the oldest on the agenda of the United Nations and the subject of several Security Council resolutions. A peaceful resolution that accords fully with the aspirations of the Kashmiris is a Sine Qua Non for durable stability. As is the need for safeguarding of their fundamental human rights.”
She also mentioned the need for uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue with India. Of course she did not talk about the fundamental rights or human rights of Balochs, or Shias and Ahemdiyas, or even the journalists in her own country. In contrast, the Indian Prime Minister did not utter the ‘K’ word in his speech. He did not talk of India being a victim of cross-border terror. He did not even mention Pakistan. India has a world-view, which is not just about Pakistan, and centred on Pakistan-sponsored terror. India has moved on. Pakistan can follow suit, if it wants to, that is.
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