Kapil Sibal seeks to repeat ‘Nehruvian blunder’ as he bats for internationalisation of the Pahalgam terror attack
On the 23rd of April, senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, referring to it as a “carefully planned and heinous act,” however, he insisted that the government should address the issue internationally. He called for Pakistan to be officially classified as a terrorist state and for the prosecution of those responsible for the killings at the International Criminal Court.
The veteran Congressman stated, “It is a very carefully planned attack to target innocent people. If the general (Asim Munir) makes this statement, and an arm of Lashkar-e-Taiba is doing this and that they are all located in Pakistan, then it’s an act of terrorism by the state. Pakistan should be designated as a terrorist organization and those responsible for this should be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court.” He then added, “I urge the Home Minister to proscribe Pakistan as a terrorist state and move the International Criminal Court. I am sure the opposition will stand by this.”
Notably, while the parliamentarian aims to escalate the issue to an international court and attract foreign scrutiny, the Simla Agreement, which was executed by his own party’s government under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 2nd July 1971, in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War that resulted in Bangladesh’s independence (previously East Pakistan), asserts that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved through bilateral negotiations between the two countries.
This clearly indicates that the conflict lies between the two neighbouring nations, and no international organisation or country is permitted to intervene. Pakistan, compelled to engage in negotiations due to its significant defeat and the surrender of 93,000 troops, has consistently sought to bring the issue before international organisations such as the United Nations in a desperate effort to contest India’s firmly established stance against foreign intervention in Kashmir.
By needlessly internationalizing a bilateral issue between two countries, Sibal is essentially committing the same blunder that his ideological cornerstone, India’s first PM, Nehru, committed when he scooted away to the UN to resolve the Kashmir issue in a “peaceful manner” and didn’t trust the Indian Army’s pragmatic approach to evict the intruders and take control of the entire princely state, including the present-day Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Pakistan has, in any case, breached all terms of the agreement that mandated respect for the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, which was established following the 1971 war, and aimed to resolve all disputes between the two nations through peaceful methods, primarily through bilateral negotiations. Through its active sponsorship and breeding of terrorists to bleed India, along with its relentless focus on the Kashmir issue at international levels, especially after the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan has demonstrated its refusal to engage in peaceful talks with its neighbour.
Furthermore, Kabil Sibal’s statements reflect the malicious intent of the Islamic Republic, which is eager to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Pakistan will seize the chance to proclaim that it is an integral part of the people’s resistance against living with India while conveniently ignoring the fact that it was the arm behind the hand that pulled the trigger. They have shamelessly utilised the same strategy time and again, despite mounting proof of their involvement in multiple terror assaults.
India’s unwavering stand on Jammu and Kashmir
More importantly, India has continuously affirmed that this conflict will not be presented to any international forum. During the discussions of The Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2019, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress leader in the house, stirred controversy by challenging the government on whether Article 370 and the status of Jammu and Kashmir constitute an internal issue. He pointed out that since the UN has been observing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir since 1948, it cannot be regarded as merely “internal.”
However, he faced severe backlash and Home Minister Amit Shah defended the decision aggressively declaring, “Jaan de denge. Jaan de denge iske liye (Will give our lives for Kashmir).” He further conveyed that nobody can stop the government from introducing new laws and provisions in Jammu and Kashmir.
President Donald Trump of the United States frequently proposed to facilitate talks between India and Pakistan regarding the Kashmir conflict, however, India asserted that the matter should be resolved bilaterally between the two countries.
“All issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral in nature, that is why we don’t bother any other country regarding them. India and Pakistan were together before 1947, and I’m confident that we can discuss our problems and solve them, together,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated in 2019 during the G7 summit. “We spoke last night about Kashmir, Prime Minister (Modi) really feels he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good,” the former, nevertheless, accepted India’s stance after a meeting between the two premiers.
“We are talking about Kashmir and in relation to what’s going on with Pakistan and India. If we can help, we certainly will be helping. We have been watching it and following it very, very closely,” he stated in 2020 following a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi during the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. Afterwards, India once again emphasised that Kashmir is an internal matter, asserting that any discussions with Pakistan will be strictly bilateral.
The latest comments from the Congress leader could potentially empower Pakistan’s sinister objectives as they do not align with the established policy of the Indian state. The entire nation seeks accountability for the attackers and their Pakistani backers, yet yielding to Pakistan’s wishes is not an acceptable resolution. Strong sovereign nations know how to avenge their innocent citizens and administer justice. The United States and Israel do not turn to international forums when their people are victimised. Similarly, India must take action against the wrongdoers independently, without relying on international courts or organisations, particularly when it might compromise its policies.
The recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including two foreigners and two locals, marks the bloodiest incident since the 2019 Pulwama assault. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the gruesome attack.
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