Just when you thought that things couldnʼt possibly get any worse, the strong men who rule us demonstrated their ability to surprise us with their diplomacy and concern for humanity.
As I watched our cricketing hero Imran Khan invite the big man in the White House to mediate on Kashmir, I knew the celebration would be short-lived and this will come back to haunt him.
In less than a month since then, India stripped Kashmir of its special status and won the war with a single flourish of the pen. Jammu and Kashmir’s geography changed overnight as it was demoted to a union territory and its autonomy was snatched away.
The Valley has largely remained cut-off from the world for over a fortnight now. There are rumours that many men with suspicious links have been picked up.
From a humanitarian point of view, this is a gross violation of civil liberties and freedoms. But as a strategy for building an empire, it has been very successful. We can cry as much as we want, but why are we surprised?
Also read: This is why PM Modi doesn’t really care about internationalisation of Kashmir issue
Modi delivered on his promise
Narendra Modi did what he said he would do. Love him or hate him, he delivered on his promise. His party’s manifesto had promised abrogation of Article 370 if voted back to power. He made his intentions clear in all his interviews.
So, when a leading news channel asks me if “Modi has bowled a googly to Imran”, my simple answer is No.
I have personally found these cricketing references tiresome and to compare the human catastrophe in Kashmir to a googly is particularly distasteful. But to use the same analogy, I would say the selectors knew they were bypassing merit when they chose a bowler as their opening batsmen.
Young Pakistanis are angry
What is shocking is that in the past 70 years, Pakistani children have been force-fed a dream of ‘Kashmir banega Pakistan’.
Overseas Kashmiris from Srinagar sussed it out a long time ago that no one was serious about listening to their demands. They told me how disillusioned they were and that they were just being used as human shields.
My email and WhatsApp have been flooded with angry, disappointed messages from young Pakistanis – If this is how they were going to gift away Kashmir to India, why were they prolonging the agony of women and children for 70 years?
I donʼt have the heart to remind them that I did warn them through my TV shows and during private conversations.
I had seen the competencies of those drawing hefty official salaries and informal benefits for championing the Kashmir cause in the US and the UK, and was far from being impressed.
Indeed, I had withdrawn from events organised for Kashmir over the past two years, knowing fully well that these were just opportunities for lavish dinner and empty sloganeering, not to mention free travel.
One Kashmiri crew member remembered my show from February 2016 wherein I had discussed Imran Khanʼs plan for a three-way split of Kashmir.
Some remembered my comment after the new PM gave interviews to Indian journalists on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony for Kartarpur corridor last year. These young men called me up to say: “Maʼam every word you said is turning out to be true”. I replied, “Pray that my words don’t come true”.
Also read: Why self-determination for Kashmir would have meant autonomy only for extremists
Imran Khan says he knew it all
To add insult to injury, the Pakistan PM stood up in parliament during a joint session only to confess that he was aware of Modi’s plans in Kashmir. For the benefit of the public, he went in great detail to convince us that he was guilty as charged.
He admitted that from the minute he took office, he was repeatedly shunned by an arrogant Modi. Post-Pulwama, he was convinced that there was no hope of a friendship with Modi.
One wonders why then did the Kaptaan campaign for Modi before the general elections in India.
In April first week, the skipper assured the world that Modi would resolve the issue of Kashmir if re-elected. Since Imm the Dimm is a nickname Imran detests, one must assume that his prediction was based on a careful analysis of the information available to him as the great leader.
After all his party frequently brags about the wonderfully agreeable symbiotic relationship the government shares with the military leadership.
And he was right. Modi did resolve the issue once and for all. Closing the door on any future dialogue on Kashmir.
So unprepared and clueless were the news channels in Pakistan that they started a news campaign on the possible death of separatist leader Yasin Malik who has been in prison for months now.
But, of course, our PM knew it all, he claims.
Also read: Imran Khan used Modi excuse to give Bajwa extension. But General can’t save him from rivals
Clean bowled or fixed match?
Now Imran Khan has taken to Twitter and parliament to educate us on the ideology of the RSS, which he says resembles that of Nazi Germany.
Keen followers of the Kaptaan know by now that Germany and the world wars are his area of expertise. It could be his subject of choice on the TV show ‘Mastermind’ once he hangs up his PM cloaks.
Of course judging by his first year in power, he seems to be planning for at least a decade of progress under his visionary leadership.
One is hesitant to raise a humble question in an environment where TV anchors like Najam Sethi find even their YouTube shows being taken down.
I will dare to regardless.
If the writing was on the wall, why did the skipper not change his placing in the field?
Why could he not find a gap to score a boundary?
Was he clean bowled by Modi or was it a fixed match?
Reham Khan is a journalist, child rights activist, and a single parent. She authored ‘Reham Khan’, an autobiography. Views are personal.
If someone doesn’t understand what Is a union territory from a state and considers itna demotion – speaks volumes about the person. But wait she is a Pakistani journalist, who was married to Imran Khan at one point. Says it all
Porkistan has become a complete poor country.The prices of all items including vegetables have become very high.There is massive anti Porkistan movement in Baluchistan .Baluchistan Liberation Army has killed many Porki soldiers and officers Sindh also wants separation from Porkistan.The people of POK wants to join India . Time has come to disintegrate Porkistan .Baluchistan and sindh to become separate country and POK to be integrated with India
Thanks To Pakistan’s & Islamic Nations Support, #Xinjiang, #China’s #Concentration Camps have achieved what they had set out to do!! #Uyghur #Muslims Now openly RENOUNCING #ISLAM. _Go in as a #Muslim. Leave As an Atheist!!_ Lessons For India & The World??!!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1164137812905644032
Is Islamic Pakistan any better than Nazi Germany?
Madam you seem to know about the so called ” crimes against humanity ” in Kashmir better than us living in UK 🙂 yet it took you quite a while to understand what your ex hubby Imm the dimm was worth 🤣 what inspite of living with him .
Goes a long way in proving your perceptive skills.
Maybe you need to get over your bitter divorce and a life beyond bashing your ex . You know Imm the dim no matter what a moron he is definitely has . While you continue to use him to earn your living through articles and books .
The creation of Pakistan was a mistake. With time it will be rectified.
We are still reliving the colonial past which created Pakistan in the first place by the nawabs of UP, Bihar and other places whose Zamindari was under threat by the then British Rule. All this insecurity of the nawabs were coloured under Hindu Muslim divide. This plan suited the Britishers too well so that Soviet’s can be stopped from proceeding towards India. Now having known this in hindsight excepting West Punjabi’s in Pakistan other communities should rise again to overthrow them so that this cancerous of tumour called Pakistan can be eradicated once and for all. In this endeavor the present leadership of India should play an active role as a expert Oncology surgeon wielding the knife.
‘ Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’
Sad that this journal has to air the views of a ‘has been ex – wife’!
To be fair and balanced the Print should now publish an article from the abandoned Mrs Narendar Modi as well.
Why?
You have a ton of news outlets in India like Pakistan Express and Anti Hindu doing anti Modi rants all day everyday.
You should ask these papers, not Print.
Indeed, hell hath no fury like a Reham Khan scorned! According to her book IK was about Naam Bade, Darshan Chhote! Hope that wasn’t her beef with IK.
But then if her looks could kill Pakistan’s motorways would be littered with the dead bodies of all Vadheras, Khans, Nawabzadas, and Makhdooms!
IK Niazi was not truly elected. He is a selected PM, selected by the Army . He is extremely incompetent. He has no leadership skills to inspire or lead his hateful country. He is more immature, and reveals himself this past week.
Imran Khan has a degree from Oxford. He has established a world class cancer hospital and a University. He has had more than 20 years experience in politics.
Your own immaturity is visible when you parrot spiteful comments instead of research.
None of the things you have posted dispute or invalidate my comments. There are Pakistani columnists who have written on how incompetent and clueless Imran Khan Niazi has been. You can pretend my comments were due to “spitefulness”.
school text books in India should address the unfinished agenda for
India that of PoK, so that sooner it is also part of India.
no other issue.
Only when Pak occupied Kashmir is taken into Indian union, Kashmir issue will be resolved. Modi’s work is only half done.
Complete and utter garbage. Why would “young angry pakistanis” be writing to you? What official role do you have? You are a nobody – sorry I forgot that you are the ex wife of IK. That was a million years ago. Do you have a degree in politics ? no you don’t. In fact you have a fake degree in education that you bought in mid 2000s. You call IK Imm the Dimm, ha haha. Typical ex wife speak. (IK has a degree in government and politics from Oxford !!!) Then you say cricket analogy should not be used, yet carry on regardless, using words like clean bowled, skipper, boundary etc. All this has been written in favour of Modi and India. We already know you hate Pakistan and IK. Therefore this piece of garbage you have written is utter rubbish, biased and full of lies. Nothing new there then since you are a habitual liar as has been proven on many an occasion. Since Reham detests the tag “worst example of a woman” which she has been given by all Pakistanis she is scared to go to any rallies organised for Kashmir or any other big functions where Pakistanis will abuse her for her betrayal of Pakistan and its people. Therefore she is licking Modis boots once again. Surprise, surprise. We all know Reham is good at licking and sucking up people amongst other things. I pray for the people of Kashmir and for their safety. Shame on you Reham for using the Kashmir issue to abuse your ex husband and earn a few more pennies. You are a vile and evil creature. We all pray for that day when the Almighty carries out his justice on you to come as soon as possible.
You may disagree with her views but please treat the lady with dignity at least on an Indian publication’s website. Unless you are Imm the Dimm posting under a different name!!!
This article exposes the utter contempt and complete disbelief Reham Khan has for Imran Khan. However I’d point to the following statement just below the main heading, “If this is how Pakistan was going to gift away Kashmir to India, why did it prolong the agony for 70 years?”.
This statement exposes that all Pakistanis think Kashmir was theirs by default. Otherwise Reham wouldn’t use the word “gift”. They simply think Kashmir was theirs and India is the encroaching party. Why? Because Kashmiris are muslims!!! Pakistan is supposed to be leader of all muslims of this region. This is the mentality. For this reason, they forcibly acquired Gilgit and Baltistan and also control Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
If any Kashimiri thinks that Pakistan will support they to have an independent land of their own, then they’re fully mistaken.
Is India at fault in providing military support to Jammu and Kashmir? No. India went to Kashmir only because tribal marauders from Northen areas attacked Kashmir with the help of Pakistan and only after the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir signed the instrument of accession (because he was unable to defend).
Frankly, Pakistan should accept the fact and should really hand over the Kashmir area to India that it forcibly taken. But Pakistan did not do that. Instead it kept dreaming to acquire Kashmir by force to this day and God knows probably it’ll do so until it disintegrates.
Pakistan queues up before IMF every three years and it needs aid from many western countries including Uncle Sam. Its economic indicators can’t be compared (forget India) even to Bangladesh which has a better GDP, fx reserves and growth rate. Pakistan is struggling with population growth, and can’t find enough food to feed its people three times a day. Yet it wants J&K which has another 4 million people. How will it feed another 4 million? May be they have some food outsourcing options involving the Chinese! May be they will use the extra space for their jihadi factories?