External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is currently on a three-day tour to China and although this visit was a pre-scheduled one, attention to it has suddenly doubled particularly after the wake of Article 370 abrogation that has redefined and reshaped Kashmir. Not only this particular one, the issue of Kashmir will continue to be the central theme of many bilateral as well as multilateral talks of which India will be a party in coming days. And since Kashmir has been a ‘contentious’ issue for past several decades, it is clear that there will now be more conscious and prolonged efforts to internationalize it to corner India. With such a new order that has suddenly unfolded after the Kashmir remodeling, it will be interesting to observe how the country draws its foreign affairs strategies to counter the diplomatic barrages that are expected to flow from a host of hostile nations, immediate ones being neighbours China and Pakistan.  

To start with China, its reaction to Kashmir development had been exactly according to the known line of viscous policy it pursues against India. It had been swift to raise concerns over the developments in J&K and went to the extent of defining India’s decision to change Ladakh’s status to a UT as ‘unacceptable’. As a counter to this, on the first day of the visit itself, India’s EA Minister issued a strong clarification by reiterating that the matter is exclusively and entirely an internal matter that will have no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the Line of Actual Control with China . To allay fears of the Chinese counterparts further,Jaishankar has also made it clear that India is in no mood for raising additional territorial claims over Ladakh. China had also been obliquely told that it should base its assessments only on realities, sending a concise message that it should not side with its ‘all-weather’ ally Pakistan on this issue. A visibly nervous Pakistan on the other hand besides downgrading diplomatic relations with India, started reaching several quarters fast to seek support including a written message to the UN Security Council, but all had been rendered futile so far. US stand of remaining neutral has been a real shocker and with China still not articulating help and Russia unequivocal in its support for India, it’s a state of absolutely jittery for Pakistan.

As of now and quite unexpectedly rather, the new Kashmir has failed to create strong ‘global ripples’ that can be cashed by India’s foes. Although it’s a diplomatic success in this round, in the context of the new checkerboard of international relations that has come up, it is quite likely that there will be more sinister manoeuvres in coming days which need to be countered with sagacity.

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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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