With Shehbaz Sharif as Pakistan PM, how worried should India be?

Name two words which are talked most in Pakistan, the words which are on the tip of everyone’s tongue right from a school going child to an octogenarian, from an IT professional to a homemaker, from a Pakistan Army Soldier to a politician and from a roadside beggar to the President of Pakistan. These two words are India and Kashmir. Newly elected Shehbaz Sharif led coalition government in Pakistan is no exception. Soon after taking over reins of the country, the very first statement of Mr Sharif was about Kashmir which reflects their obsession about it.

As we all are aware that Pakistan is struggling badly to keep its economy afloat. The country has the external debt which is 130% of its GDP, over 2.5 trillion Rupees of Circular debt and a double-digit inflation all the time. It looks funny that while the country is standing on the verge of a financial collapse, the rulers are busy rattling their Kashmir toy. However, it is pertinent to understand the Kashmir obsession of Mian Shehbaz Sharif. The very first statement he gave after passing the majority test in National Assembly was to invite Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi for a talk over Kashmir and reiterated the statement which all the rulers of Pakistan have been singing for last so many decades- Let us solve the Kashmir issue in the light of UN resolutions.

Not only this, when on 12^th April 2022, Mr Narendra Modi congratulated him in a tweet, Mian Sharif unnecessarily added Kashmir in his reply to Indian PM. Things did not stop here, he went a step further during his inaugural speech in Pakistan’s National Assembly. He not only mentioned Kashmir several times but also made statements like “Kashmiris’ blood is flowing on roads of Kashmir and the Kashmir Valley is red with their blood” and openly declared that Pakistan will provide the Kashmiri people with diplomatic and moral support. If we recount the narrations, Mian Shehbaz Sharif mentioned Kashmir almost everyday since he won the majority.

Such obsession is totally unwarranted. Especially in the light of historical events like Shimla Agreement of 1972 which clearly works out a path of the resolution of Kashmir problem and it is a matter of serious concern that once Shimla Agreement was signed, the matter becomes a bilateral matter and there is no role of United Nations in this anymore. Moreover, India has been raising the issue of cross border terrorism for last so many decades so the onus lies on Mian Sharif to start the peace talks. He has to give the confidence to Indian leaders that his country is not involved in terror activities in India and he has to prosecute the terror masterminds sitting in his country. Wounds of 26/11 are still afresh and lot more to be done by Shehbaz Sharif if at all he is interested in resolving the Kashmir issue.

Shehbaz Sharif’s election as Prime Minister of Pakistan is a warning sign for India and we have some very strong reasons to prove that. Firstly, as we know that ever since he took over, been singing the Kashmir song instead of thinking of well being of his own country. Secondly, the close relations of Mian Shehbaz Sharif with terrorist leaders are no longer a secret. In June 2013, when he was Chief Minister of Pakistan, he allocated 61.35 million Pakistani rupee in cash from the state exchequer to “Jammat Ud Dawa” the terror organisation run by Hafiz Sayeed and which is the face of dreaded terror group “Lashkar E Toiba”. Not only this, but he also allocated another 350 million rupees for setting up infrastructure run by the trusts run by the same organisation.

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With Shehbaz Sharif becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan, India must be fully prepared and geared up for any eventuality. India has been the victim of Sharif Brother and History has given us some very sour lessons. The very first lesson we got in 1999 when Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the “Lahore Accord” with senior Sharif. Soon after that India was backstabbed in Kargil where Pakistani Army infiltrated a large area of Indian Territory. Although Nawaz Sharif denied having knowledge of Kargil but the story from senior Pakistan Army officials painted a different picture altogether. Second time when Mr Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister in India, he extended a friendly hand to Senior Sharif and invited him for his oath taking. What India got? Pathankot Air Base attack in return which happened immediately after the start of bilateral talks.

While India’s experience with senior Sharif were not good, the nature and activities of Junior Sharif (Shehbaz Sharif) are not very encouraging. He is considered extremely close to fanatic radical Islamic leaders and preachers since he was chief minister of Punjab Province for a long time. He is considered impetuous by many and holds a bad reputation when it comes to taking mature decisions.

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All these factors are neither good nor healthy for a progressive Indo-Pak relationship. While it is an accepted truth that Kashmir is the most important and burning issue between both the countries, intentions of Mian Shehbaz Sharif can not be trusted in the light of his previous deeds. Pakistan will continue to live on the fake and flimsy obsession of Anti-India Sentiments and Obsession towards Kashmir and these two issues will keep on diverting the minds of their public from hunger, poverty and lack of humanitarian services.

We saw Imran Khan Niazi’s “Naya Pakistan”. Let us see Shehbaz Sharif’s “Old Pakistan Again” too.