Post Article 370, Pakistani establishment decides on self destruction

Desh Kapoor -

We had said that Pakistan really does not have any cards to play with after the revocation of Article 370.  So they did an interesting drama.

In a National Security Committee (NSC) chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the following decisions were taken by the Pakistan government and establishment.

  1. Suspension of bilateral trade
  2. Downgrading of diplomatic relations
  3. Review of bilateral arrangements
  4. Pakistan to take matter to UN, including Security Council
  5. Black Day on 15th August

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Interior Minister, Minister for Education, Minister for Human Rights, Minister for KA&GB, Law Minister, Adviser Finance, CJCSC, COAS, CAS, V-CNS, SAPM on Information, DG-ISI, DG-ISPR, Secretary Foreign Affairs and other senior officers.

They have ordered Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Ajay Bisaria to go back and also the newly-appointed Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Mueenul Haq, will not take the charge as he was expected to do this month.

It is quite clear that the motto of the establishment can be encapsulated by this lovely verse:

Dil jala hai to zaalim, apna ghar bhi jala kar dekh;
Duniya ko aakhir pata to chale ke kahin aag lagi hai

(If your heart is burning [from anger], put your house on fire as well; at least the world should know that something is burning!)

The exports from Pakistan to India were USD 2.84 million in March this year compared to USD 34.61 million in March 2018.  A decline of 92%!  On the other hand, India exported USD 2 billion during 2018-19. (source)  While India is Pakistan’s third largest destination for exports, Pakistan is nowhere in the top ten trading partners!

While India is less dependent on Pakistan, Pakistan depends more on exports from India.

Quite honestly, none of these so-called measures will bring any change. Pakistan will be hurt by each one of them badly.  And as Pakistan is shut out by India in every manner possible and the terror infiltration plugged by better surveillance, the progress in Kashmir is a certainty.  Where it is today, any change will be a huge plus for the population!

So, while the politicians siphoned the money from Indian grants to build palaces and stash in foreign bank accounts while the population lived in poverty, their allies in Pakistan benefitted.  No more.

The more that Pakistan isolates itself, the more it will wall itself into oblivion.