INDIA NEWS
EDITORIAL
MSD: A champion of the art of impossible
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uch has been made of India’s abrogation of Article 370, so much so that the Greens tabled a motion in the New South Wales Parliament criticising India, also finding favours from some Australian based strategic experts and Pakistan experts. But a closer scrutiny of the historical facts and UN technicality reveals how the motion, and Pakistan’s own case and views of strategic experts lacks teeth. Pakistan’s official Kashmir policy hinging on twin pillars, crossborder terrorism and United Nations resolutions, has no takers. Since 1990, over 40,000 people have been killed in J&K in terrorist violence perpetuated by Pakistan-based Jihadi groups, in violation of UNGA Resolution 2625 that directs states to “refrain from organising or encouraging the organisation of irregular forces or armed bands, including mercenaries, for incursion into the territory of another state”. The 1267 UN Sanctions Committee also lists many terrorists linked to over 22 jihadist organisations in Pakistan. Following the Pulwama attack in J&K in 2019, killing 43 Indian security personnel, the United Nations and over 50 countries inter alia the US, Japan, Russia, Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia, South Asian neighbours including Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), and Australia strongly condemned the attack. In 2005, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leader of the All-Party Hurriyat Committee (main Kashmiri separatist representative body) led a delegation to Muzaffarabad, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), and lambasted Pakistan for only causing bloodshed and hardship in Kashmir with little constructive contribution to better Kashmiri lives. Every major Indian peace offer has been accompanied by a terrorist attack and even a war in Kargil in 1999, attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, in Mumbai in 2008 and on the Army base in Pathankot in 2016 to name a few. So even the Kashmiris lost patience with Pakistan intransigence in reigning these groups. With regard to UN resolutions, Pakistan case had much bigger holes. First, the UN resolutions on J&K passed on August 13, 1948 had three parts. Part I called for a “ceasefire”; part II called for withdrawal by Pakistani forces, both “regular” and “irregular” from the occupied territories, and urged India to reduce its troops strength in the area (India has just now announced reduction of 10,000 troops); and Part III talked about determining the future of J&K in accordance with the “will of the people”. The
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UN Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP) also assured India that the plebiscite remained non-binding if Part I and II were unimplemented. Troops withdrawal by Pakistan remains pending till date! Second, a distinction exists between Chapter VI and Chapter VII resolutions of the UN Charter. Resolutions on Kashmir passed under Chapter VI are non-binding resolutions, more of a recommendation, unlike Chapter VII resolutions which are binding resolutions. Justifiably, UN Secretary Generals, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, had previously dismissed equating UN resolutions on Kashmir with other Chapter VII resolution (Iraq, Israel and East Timor, etc.), as “comparing apples and oranges”. Third, the territorial erosion of UN resolutions further rubbishes fanciful UN-based solutions. In the 1963 agreement, Pakistan unlawfully ceded 5,180 sq. kms of J&K territory (Shaksgam Valley) to China which Beijing considers irreversible. What happens to this piece of territory, if hypothetically, the status quo was to be restored for a UN-backed resolution? Fourth, the demographic erosion also further deflates Pakistan’s case. Since the late 1980s, Pakistan has altered the demography of PoK by pushing in Punjabis and Pushtuns (nonKashmiris) and butchering scores of Shi’ites in Gilgit, widely reported in the Pakistani magazine Herald and the daily Dawn in April/May 1990, and also testified by Abdul Hamid Khan, Chairman of the Balwaristan National Front (BNF) in Gilgit. On the Indian side since 1990, terrorist groups have killed and raped hundreds and forced around 200,000 ethnic Kashmiri pundits to flee the Kashmir valley. Their return remains uncertain. The NSW motion makes no mention of their plight and rehabilitation.
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ricket fans in Australia had the privilege of seeing Mahendra Singh Dhoni bat in a Test match for the last time. When he walked away from the field at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 30, 2014, unbeaten in the company of R. Ashwin as India forced a draw, Dhoni was kind of gearing up for a hard decision he had to make. There was little to suggest that this was going to be Dhoni’s farewell Test. India may have lost the chance to win its first ever series in Australia by the time the Melbourne Test concluded, and it obviously must have weighed on his mind when he took the decision to hand over the captaincy to Virat Kohli. It was part of his introvert nature that none knew Dhoni’s plans. It is said he had taken his teammates into confidence, but the world of cricket woke up to a shocker when Kohli led India in the last Test of that series at Sydney. Various reasons were attributed to Dhoni’s departure from Test cricket, but there was no doubt that at heart he had Indian cricket’s interest. Ashwin recently shared his experience of that historic day at MCG. “I remember when he retired from Test cricket in 2014, I was batting with him to save the match. But once we lost, he simply picked up a stump and walked off saying he’s done. It was quite an emotional moment for him. Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina and I were sitting in his room that evening. He was still wearing his Test match jersey through the entire night and he shed a few tears as well,” Ashwin revealed in a video post recently. To quit Test cricket at 33 was indeed shocking. Not that Dhoni had become a burden on the team. He was the most shining icon in the dressing room,
Mr Vijay Lokpally
especially for the youngsters who had come from small towns. When he made his Test debut at Chennai against Sri Lanka in 2005, it was a natural progression for Dhoni. He was the cynosure of all with his unique brand of attacking cricket, innovative strokeplay, and a positive approach to the game. His presence at the crease meant entertainment. You watched cricket, Test or ODI, for Dhoni. True, the team had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, but it had in Dhoni a man who played on his terms. Fearless and ambitious made for a lethal combination for Dhoni.
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He was the motivation for those who dreamt big without access to facilities that the city boys enjoyed.
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Why criticism of India on Kashmir lacks teeth
He decimated bowling attacks with amazing ease and there was science in his strokeplays – using the pace and bounce of the ball to direct his shots. Often his brute power sent the ball into orbit. Such was his menacing presence in the middle that often the bowlers lost their composure even as Dhoni left his seat in the dressing room to walk to the crease with a swagger. I had the fortune to watch him grow in cricket, many interactions that gave an insight into his intense reading of the game.
Last, following the release of a new map by Imran Khan’s government showing Kashmir as a part of Pakistan, Kashmiris are convinced of Pakistan’s years of political and diplomatic perfidy and bogus ‘moral support’ to their cause. Since the abrogation of Article 370, violence and killings have been significantly reduced and the Kashmiris anticipate development and greater economic opportunities. Gender and caste-based discrimination are history with the scrapping of Article 35A. J&K children can now avail education schemes like other Indian children. J&K has turned a new leaf. Can we afford a relapse and see another 40,000 lose lives in senseless violence? No.
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His confidence was unmatched. Nothing, absolutely nothing, perturbed him. Can’t remember a moment when Dhoni’s face reflected any signs of pressure or worry. The sight of Dhoni promoting himself in the order and finishing the 2011 World Cup chase with a magnificent flourish at the Wankhede Stadium is one of the most memorable images of the game. He brought a kind of revolution to the way cricket was played in India. You were allowed to chase your dreams even from the remotest corners of the country. For a man who did not even possess a personal kit when playing competitive cricket for Bihar, to be featured as one of the richest sportspersons in the world was some achievement. The quality I liked most in Dhoni was the fact that he was never overawed by the opposition, and not at all by the camera. See the ease with which he delivers his dialogues in the commercials that he stars in. So natural! Don’t be surprised if someday he dons the role of a principal actor in a cricket movie or assumes the role of an active politician. Dhoni’s love for the uniform, his passion to serve briefly in Jammu and Kashmir, his many gifts to the country on the cricket field, make him one of the most precious and celebrated achievers of India. Statistics will never do justice to this cricketer who played the game in his own way. He has set enviable benchmarks hard to emulate. Only greats can think of what Dhoni has recorded in history books. Critics observe he is a fantastic case study, an inspiring chapter in school books. An intensely private person, Dhoni is a man who shines in every Indian household. He may have walked away from the game, at what I think was a year late, but he will continue to entertain us through the nostalgic videos on social media, the long haired Dhoni, the one with a crew cut, the ever-smiling champion. Cricket won’t be same because there won’t be another Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mr Vijay Lokapally has been a sports journalist for four decades. He writes for The Hindu and Sportstar.
SEPTEMBER 2020
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