President Obama and
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
after Obama's arriving in
New Delhi. Singh broke official protocol
to meet President Obama at
the airport.
The Frontier Post, Pakistan
While in India, Obama
Ignores Pakistan and Kashmir at His Peril
"America
may have Pakistan and India separated in its mind, but for Pakistan, the
Indo-U.S. strategic partnership is a direct threat to its own security. Obama
would do well to remember that, along with the critically important 'K' word,
as he romances India."
Members of the All India Students Federation of Inida protest President Obama's arrival. The group, affilliated with the Indian Communist Party, says the U.S. wants to impose his capitalist policies on the country. Inidan Mulsims also protested President Obama's arrival.
Even as President Obama
suffered a massive blow in the midterm elections and with Republicans gaining
control of the House, he prepared for his visit to India by giving a statement
on India's ambition to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council
(UNSC). He pointed out that this was a difficult matter, as was India's desire
for a relaxation in U.S. controls over the export of sensitive, dual-use technologies.
Obama's statements were part of an interview given to the Press Trust of
India, in which he also declared that Pakistan had a responsibility to
bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice, “transparently, fully
and urgently.” Of course, nothing was said on Kashmir, and clearly Obama is
going to steer clear of that issue while in India. He should know, however,
that simply ignoring it to please India's rulers won't make the issue go away,
and unless the Kashmir conflict is resolved, Obama's desire to see India as a
global power cannot be fulfilled.
While India and Obama may
want to steer clear of the Kashmir issue, the Kashmiris will make that
difficult. They have already issued appeals to President Obama seeking U.S.
intervention to resolve the conflict and pressure India to stop its human
rights abuses in Occupied Kashmir.
Even Obama knows that there's
a limit to how far he can rationally go to appease India, as was reflected in
his remarks on permanent membership in the U.N. Security Council. India should
also realize that as long as it continues to flout Security Council resolutions
on Kashmir, as long as it continues to abuse and repress Occupied Kashmir, its
aspirations of becoming a permanent member of that body have little
credibility.
Unfortunately for Obama, he
goes to India as a much weakened President. The midterm election results have
been a sharp rejection of his policies, especially in regard to the economy. He
has to set his economy in order, which means cutting expenses, which means
ending military operations in Afghanistan - a major drain on the American economy.
For the U.S. to have anything approaching a respectable exit, however, it
requires Pakistan's cooperation and support. The administration must realize
that even the mostly compliant current Pakistani leadership can't go along with
every U.S. demand without reciprocity and with a continued U.S. bias toward
India - especially in military affairs.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Nevertheless, Obama's visit will
be a major propaganda coup for India, which it will exploit against Pakistan.
In fact, the trip begins at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, where families of the
victims of the terror attacks will meet Obama. There will be lots of Pakistan-bashing
by the U.S.-India combine.
America may have Pakistan and
India separated in its mind, but for Pakistan, the Indo-U.S. strategic
partnership is a direct threat to its own security. Obama would do well to
remember that, along with the critically important “K” word, as he romances
India.
Map
of Jammu and Kashmir: Perhaps the most
ignored
and least understood potential flash
point
on earth. [click for map jumbo version]
[Editor's Note: India and
Pakistan have fought four wars over what was once the "princely state of Jammu
and Kashmir," and which, from 1846-1947, was ruled by a British Satrap
called a Maharaja. When
India and Pakistan became states, Jammu Kashmir became disputed territory
between the two. While Jammu Kashmir is majority Muslim, it wanted to maintain
its independence, which led to the first Indi-Pak war. Eventually, Maharajah Hari
Singh signed the Instrument of Accession
"acceding to the dominion" of India. Pakistan rejects the agreement
because of the area's majority Muslim population. Other countries that came
into being as a result of the Partition of India
were Burma, Napal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.]
