Arun Joshi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed dynamics of G20 at a time when India is holding presidency of the grouping, and one of the most significant point was related to Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh- the two regions where G20 meetings were held with fanfare and great success to much of the annoyance and anger of Pakistan and China.
PM’s message was, no one cares for their objections – India has the natural right to organise meetings of the grouping wherever it likes to in the country. Neither Kashmir nor Arunachal Pradesh could have been made exceptions simply because some neighbouring countries were in objection mode.
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“When G20 meetings are happening, isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of the country,” the Prime Minister told PTI news agency in an interview the transcript of which was released on Sunday. The context and the translation of what PM said was contained in the question: “Some of our neighbours raised objections to the venues of some of the (G20) meetings, what message did we send by hosting foreign leaders at G-20 in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh notwithstanding objections by Pakistan and China. This question had a direct reference to the G20 meeting in Kashmir in May this year, which was boycotted by China, saying that “Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, and it cannot take participate in the meetings over there.” This is the rough paraphrasing of what Beijing said in the run up to the G20 meeting on tourism in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Prime Minister’s counter question,” isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of country?” defined the geopolitical realities that Delhi wants the world to know and acknowledge without any reservations, leaving the sceptics out of this prism Pakistan had upped the ante on G20 meeting in Srinagar when Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto raised the issue at a press conference in Goa on side lines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – SCO-. He had termed the meet as violation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir – that meant that the issue of Kashmir remains unsettled until plebiscite is held in the territory. A few days later, China followed the Pakistani script, and stayed away from the grouping’s meet in Srinagar.
As regards the G 20 meet on tourism in Kashmir, it was a test of sorts for Delhi. There were too many challenges to be overcome. Even the itinerary of the visiting diplomats was a challenge. This can be understood only by those who know the place, where uncertainty is the only certainty. Despite a huge display of optics of normalcy, a fear lurks about things going wrong at any moment. The warning signs emerge only after the incidents. This has been a consistent pattern in the Valley where things have been experiencing turbulences of all sorts –from bombs and bullet terrorism to the terror of stone throwing for over three decades (1989 to 2019).
It is now more than 100 days since G20 met was held in Kashmir, but its reverberations have been felt across the nation, and beyond its borders. The message is loud and clear- Jammu and Kashmir in its entirety belongs to India. It is two-way traffic that PM Modi has reflected upon – Delhi has not only the ownership of the territory where its sovereignty is as deep and strong as elsewhere in the country but also its emotional connect with the people. The administration, howsoever strong and guided by extraordinary political will, could not have made the event successful without the support of the masses. The people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Valley, contributed much more to the success of the event with their hospitality and red carpet that they rolled out for the visiting delegates and diplomats.
This is the message that PM wanted to convey, and when he said:” Ours is such a vast, beautiful and diverse nation. When G 20 meetings are happening, isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of our country?” Then how could have India excluded Kashmir, jewel in the crown of India?
On a larger canvas, Prime Minister Modi has not only dismissed the “objections” part of China and Pakistan, he also has articulated India’s stand toward its own territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. This was his answer to Chinese who recently released a standard map in which Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin have been shown as part of China. Without bringing these aspects into his interview, Prime Minister has shown that these claims were absurd as India doesn’t accept these at all.
This was the essence of PM’s message in the interview if it is to be read carefully – there is much more to be read between the lines than mere plain reading of the words.
(Arun Joshi is author of “Eyewitness Kashmir; Teetering on Nuclear War and senior journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir, writes on South Asian affairs)
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
