Pakistan Kashmiri separatists have to choose Between terrorism and progress

 

Pakistan is reaping the fruits of its terrorism expenditure. Its kitty has got emptied. The Pak Government has got competed to cut the size of the biggest Chinese silk road project in Pakistan by $2 billion. The Pak Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed said on October 1 last that this difficult decision has been taken because of the country's huge debt burden. He told a news conference that Pakistan has become a poor country and she cannot afford the burden of the loans that the earlier governments have taken He added: "Therefore, we have reduced the loan from China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for rail projects from $8.2 billion to $6.2 billion" He added that his Government wishes to further reduce the cost to $4.2 billion from $6.2 billion.

Pakistan's best friendly country of seven decades, the United States, agrees with Rasheed's view America told Pakistan that the loans it has taken can turn it into a debt trap as it will not be able to repay.

Islamabad is of the view that the CPEC is the backbone of that country. At the same time, its leaders have to think how Chinese loans can be paid. Pakistan badly needs to implement the Karachi-Peshawar Main. Line-1 project, but lacks the financial resources for the purpose

The Pak Govt invited third countries to help it in raising funds. Last month it was hopeful that its close ally Saudi Arabia would join in the CPEC project. Later, the Government had to make a U-turn, Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiar said on October 2 that the Saudi Government had come to the conclusion that it will not enter into the framework as a third-party investor.

The new Pak Government is worried over the fact that the United States is not likely to revoke its decision of suspension of aid to Pakistan until America sees some substantial progress against terrorists and their safe havens. As top officials of the two countries met in Washington American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National security advisor John Bolton told Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that the US. does not see any change on the ground on tackling terror .

The American officials' assessment proved correct. Only a few hours, after Mr Qureshi had assured the world that his country "has turned the tide against terrorism", his colleague. Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Noor-ul-Haq Sadr Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri seated himself near the 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed seated himself near 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, at a function in Islamabad. The function was organised by Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of over 40 Pakistani political and religious parties that advocate conservative policies. A banner in the background, at the function, mentioned "Kashmir "as well as "threats from India '' Quadra’s presence at the event vindicates the Indian and American stand that there is no change in Islamabad's attitude towards terrorism. The United States has named Saeed as a specially-designated global terrorist and announced a $10 million bounty for information that will help bring him to justice.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in her address to the UN General Assembly, on September 29, also said that Pakistan's commitment to terrorism, as an instrument of state policy, has not abated even a bit. Observers believe that it has become difficult for the Pak Government to stop funding terrorist activities. About 10,000 persons, in the Pak military establishments and civil sector, are dependent on the funds allocated to terrorist acts. This has brought the Pak exchequer to near bankruptcy Terrorism has, also, become a bread-and-butter problem for terrorists and their sympathisers in Kashmir. It has affected business  establishments in the valley, including those of tourism and willow cricket bat making.

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Courtesy:- Jagannath Dhar and Koshur Samachar 2018, October