Quite expectedly, 74th session of the UN General Assembly turned into a virtual battlefield on Friday as Pakistan PM Imran Khan raised the Kashmir issue. But that what has attracted world attention and has been the principal takeaway of Khan’s 50-minute odd fiery speech is the warning that if the dispute is not tackled according to its ‘chosen view of things’ there are high chances of an all-out nuclear war. It wasn’t expected that this ‘ultimate card’ will be played by Pakistan so soon, given the fact that it’s not even two months complete since the Kashmir realignment took place. And even if it seems that it’s a comment made in a haste and out of sheer frustration, there are definitely certain specific calculations behind it. It would not be too difficult to fancy that Pakistan has added the nuclear-war rhetoric quite methodically with the objectives of internationalising the issue further and more importantly to counter India’s expected shift from a long pursued policy of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons. How much these sinister objectives will give dividend is a matter of conjecture. Nevertheless, judging the entire range of developments that had emanated from the world’s highest diplomatic platform, it is clear that Pakistan has remained unpredictable as ever and Kashmir issue is not going to disappear from the world picture so soon.  
A stark contrast can be observed if speeches of the two heads of state are analysed. If Modi’s was a soft music that omitted the word ‘Pakistan’ from lyrics and instead followed a roundabout route by throwing appeals to the world to stand united against terrorism, Khan’s had been of a high pitch with direct attacks and descriptions. 50 days of continuous lockdown & news blackout, mass arrests, 900,000 soldiers waiting to unleash a bloodbath once the curfews get lifted- are among a few picks from Khan’s narrative about post-August 5 Kashmir. He also rubbished Indian Army Chief’s claim about 500 militants waiting to infiltrate from Pakistan. India has also shown noticeable alacrity in response to Pak threat pointing out that the intimidatory remark of a nuclear devastation tantamounts to ‘brinksmanship’ and not statesmanship. Also expectedly, China has come to the aid of it ally by raising the Kashmir issue at this platform saying that the ‘dispute’ should be peacefully and properly addressed in accordance with UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement. The US has been fence-sitters as of now but showing eagerness to play the role of ‘interlocutor’, obviously to re-leverage its hegemony in the sub-continent.
In light of these developments, it needs no retelling that India will have to fight this trio with all its diplomatic resources to stay afloat in the world fora with dignity. Battles of diplomacy will no doubt see newer dimensions in coming months.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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