AMERICA’S UN Ambassador Nikky Haley made a ludicrous statement. She wants India to keep an eye on Pakistan. This amounts to asking rogues to keep an eye on gentlemen.

In October 1947, India moved its soldiers into Kashmir, but the UN did nothing. Yet, unlike Donald Trump we didn’t say: “United Nations is only a club where people meet to talk.” For the last many years, Indian occupation forces have raped Kashmiri women. More than a hundred thousand innocent civilians have been killed in held Kashmir and the killing continues to this day.

Still, Pakistan has an open-hearted approach to the United Nations. It is one of the largest contributors to UN peace keeping operations in terms of men and material. Indian soldiers have fired upon the UN Peacekeeping observers many times on the line of control. Pakistan has never done such a thing.

In 1971, Indian Air Force jets flying at treetop level fired rockets at two aircraft standing on Tejgaon airport. ‘United Nations’ was printed in bold letters on the aircraft wings which were being used for relief operations. Many foreign correspondents saw for themselves the UN aircraft being turned to ashes.

Pakistan has been far more accommodating than India. In the 1971 war, the Pakistan army took foreign media to the war front, where the Indians started firing artillery. The tables on the lawn of the officers mess with sparkling white tablecloth and chicken sandwiches looked pleasing to the eye. The correspondents were told they had nothing to fear as our army was holding the Indians at bay. The next day India arrested media persons on their side and locked them up saying they were spies.

I remember saying to one of the foreign journalists at the time: “see this is the difference. We treat foreign correspondents to coffee and sandwiches. India puts them in jail.”

I don’t think the Indians qualify to ‘keep an eye on anyone.’ India has a lot to hide and they need to be guarded against themselves.

Azmat Ansari
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2017