ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel has called for an unambiguous policy to counter the Indian prime minister’s “fascism” and sought a special session of the upper house on the biggest crisis confronting the nation since 1971.

The standing committee on foreign affairs, which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, asked the government to prepare an action plan to internationalise the Kashmir dispute and expose Narendra Modi’s “fascist and racist policies reminiscent of Nazi Germany”.

It also called for taking concrete steps in parliamentary diplomacy to highlight human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and evolving a policy on India that protected Pakistan’s national interests, promoted the Kashmir cause and proactively exposed Indian designs that were endangering peace in the region.

The panel observed that India was deliberately trying to escalate tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) by resorting to unprovoked firing. It said New Delhi was violating the 2003 ceasefire understanding to divert global attention from its atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The panel condemned the steps taken by the Modi government to revoke the special status of India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) through a unanimous resolution. It called upon India to reverse these steps as they had jeopardised the peace and stability of South Asia.

The body called for an immediate release of the Hurriyat leadership, the restoration of mobile and internet services and lifting of curfew in occupied Kashmir.

An official of the Foreign Office, who attended the session, brushed aside an impression that Pakistan’s response to the Indian moves was not befitting or that it wasn’t keeping an eye on the emerging situation. “The measures taken and being taken are measured responses,” he said.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the committee’s chairman, observed that Pakistan must have a long-term and sustainable policy on India, describing New Delhi’s Kashmir moves as the most important development in the region since 1971.

“We cannot compartmentalise peace and the world cannot expect Pakistan to work for peace on its western border while our eastern border is being disturbed repeatedly,” Senator Mushahid added.

Senator Rehman Malik, the former interior minister, accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of committing crimes against humanity in occupied Kashmir and advised the government to take up the matter with the International Criminal Court. The committee felt the government could not deal with the enormity of the situation alone, calling upon parliament to play its role in taking Pakistan’s narrative to global powers.

The committee said since India’s recent actions had outraged Kashmiris, Pakistan must think out of the box instead of coming up with the usual reaction.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2019