Wimpy Kid from Hell

The Pakistan government’s current mood seems to be like that of the kid from hell who demands to be fed ice – cream as bribe for eating his beans.

No ice cream, no beans.

No Kashmir talk, no terrorism talk.

How cute. Except, the NSA-level engagement that Pakistan has chickened out of threatens the lives of thousands of people not only in the Kashmir valley, but nation-over. What with flimsy lies and outright denial by the Pakistan state even in the face of irrefutable evidence of Dawood’s presence in Karachi (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dawood-ibrahim-on-nsa-talks-agenda-india-has-proof-he-lives-in-karachi/article1-1382846.aspx), it has to be given credit for outdoing itself yet again and inventing scenarios that make all possible steps in the direction of a resolution to the “terror problem” impossible to take.

Why does Pakistan balk at the prospect of discussing terrorism only, and insists on discussing, rather, the lucrative, sweet-smelling candy that is Kashmir? Such an insistence to meet the Hurriyat leaders from Kashmir to defeat the entire proposed purpose of the impending talk  indicates only too clearly what Pakistan considers important and pressing and how terrorism, a concern that’s ought to be addressed immediately, is, according to them, only a blame game that India is playing with Pakistan.

The NSA-level talks were being looked forward to by the millions of Indians who are rightfully seeking answers and explanations towards the relentless attacks by Pakistani militants and army on the country’s civilians, besides security forces. But now Pakistan turns its back on the Ufa commitment between the two countries’ respective Prime Ministers to make terrorism the agenda of the impending discussion.

I don’t know what it will take for Islamabad to refrain from such feckless behaviour, but it sure does make my toes curl when I view the whole series of events spanning the recent months gone by and realise there is absolutely no sense of pressing concern in either of the governments (much, much lesser in Pakistan’s) to diffuse the terror infiltrating from the border and also from within the country.

We really do not have so many days to lose in trying to reach a consensus. People are dying each day, and here is Pakistan, refusing to eat his beans.