Although the Pakistan government and the media had gone whole hog, claiming that UN Security Council close-door meeting on Kashmir was a great success of its stance, many senior Pakistani analysts and commentators don’t share that euphoria.
Despite the government’s tall claims, the refrain among Pakistani observers is that their government had misled the people of Pakistan on the UNSC outcome.
There is a feeling that the Pakistani position did not get any traction from anywhere and what pains them most is the approach of the Muslim countries who tried to side with India.
Rabid Islamist analyst Zafar Hilali said he was upset with the “misinformation campaign” launched by the Pakistani government on the UNSC meeting. According to him, nothing has come out of it that would give consolation to the Pakistanis. “No country was willing to take on Indi. Fortunately, the Chinese were drawn into it because of Indians’ foolishness on Laddakh. Otherwise Chinese would also have not entered the picture,” Hilali said.
Another analyst said he was very sad at the plight of Pakistan at the international level. According to him, the Pakistan administration and Foreign Office have dished out a fake narrative that UNSC meeting was a great success while it was not.
Despite the grandstanding by the Pakistani government, several analysts have started questioning the country’s narrative. There is a feeling that the Pakistani position did not get any traction from anywhere and what pains them most is the approach of the Muslim countries who tried to side with India.
Former Pakistani diplomat Abdul Basit said his country had failed to take up the Kashmir issue effectively at the international arena. He said the only saving grace for Pakistan was the support the Chinese extended to the country. “It is not sure how far the Chinese would go forward,” he added.
The issue did not get any attention beyond the regional circuit. Although Imran Khan spoke to US President Donald Trump, the US refused to attach much importance to the UN developments. Moreover, it conveyed to Khan the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral talks on Kashmir.
However, a section of the Pakistani media continues to parrot the administration’s line that the country had managed to “internationalise Kashmir”.
Indian diplomats say that Pakistan’s isolation is complete with no country wanting to sympathise with its position on Kashmir. “The more Pakistan exerts on this issue, the more it will highlight Pakistan’s use of terrorism in the region for territorial gains and to achieve political ends,” an official told TOI.
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