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In an indirect admission Abdul Basit, a former high commissioner to India, has portrayed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a tough man to deal with. Basit has presented several interesting anecdotes regarding Modi and former PM Nawaz Sharif in his recently released book ‘Hostility: A Diplomat’s Diary on Pakistan-India Relations’.
Basit was posted in New Delhi during 2013-16. He was at the helm of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi when Modi became the PM and the attack on the Indian Air Force station in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir took place. Basit retired in 2017.
Basit has narrated the first meeting between Modi and Sharif on May 27, 2014, a day after Modi had taken over as the PM. At that meeting, Sharif had recited Punjabi poetry to Modi. “The two PMs started liking each other. That meeting was very productive.”
Basit has mentioned that he had briefed Sharif on the points to be discussed with Modi at the meeting. Sharif had accepted Basit’s suggestion that he would not raise the issue of Kashmir because it was their first meeting. However, if Modi were to raise the issue of terrorism or Mumbai attacks then Sharif would respond and raise the issue of Kashmir. The meeting went out of the script. As expected, Modi started talking about terrorism and the Mumbai attacks. However, Basit was shocked to find Sharif keeping mum on the Kashmir issue.
While releasing his book recently in Karachi, Basit told the audience that under Modi, India does not seem to be under pressure on the Kashmir issue. On the contrary, Pakistan has undermined its Kashmir policy because of its omissions.
Basit said he expected the Pakistan government to do something when India abolished the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. “But it (Pakistan government) has been doing the same things again and again. Kashmir has become too difficult an issue and I don’t see India under any pressure. There is no clarity on how to deal with India. India is a very difficult country and under Modi, it has become more and more difficult for us,” he said.
US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan headache for Pakistan
Pakistan is likely to suffer the most after the United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan. The US had entered Afghanistan in 2001 with two objectives – to destroy Al Qaeda and prevent the resurgence of the Taliban. Pakistani scholars believe that the Taliban will resurface after the US withdrawal resulting in a mass exodus into Pakistan and possibly a civil war.
In January 2018, the Taliban was controlling only 14 out of the 400 districts of Afghanistan. The Afghan government held sway over approximately 120 districts and the rest of the territory was contested. In February 2020, when the US signed the peace agreement with them, the Taliban had won close to 80 districts while the Afghan government’s position remained unchanged.
After the US withdrew in April 2021, the Taliban are now in control of almost 150 districts. The Afghan government is desperately trying to hold on to its 80 districts.
Since May 1, 2021, the Taliban has taken over 80 out of the 160 districts. It also has captured areas like the north of Kabul that were not in their control even at the peak of their power in 1999 when they ruled over 90 per cent of Afghanistan. Earlier, the US air force had checked the Taliban. Their withdrawal has decimated the morale of the Afghan military.
The scholars fear that the Afghan government will fall within three to six months after the exit of US troops. There is also a possibility that significant portions of the Afghan army will melt away or join the Taliban, instead of fighting. In this scenario, Pakistan will be in the worst possible position. It will face a massive influx of refugees. If Pakistan takes any step against the Taliban they might respond by taking the fight inside Pakistan. PM Imran Khan hopes of the Taliban’s swift victory in Afghanistan to save his skin.
Power shortage makes life miserable
As monsoon has delayed, Pakistan continues to sizzle under the scorching heat. The people’s life has turned miserable with power shortage in the difficult times. Pakistan has been producing 19,000 MW electricity against the demand of 27,000 MW leaving a daily shortfall of 8,000 MW, the highest so far.
The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) is finding it difficult to meet the power demands because of limited resources. Re-gasified liquefied natural gas plants of over 3,600 MW were producing less than half of the total generation because of reduced gas supplies. The hydel contribution fluctuated between 4,600 MW and 5,200 MW because of water shortage and low dam levels. The atomic energy contribution of around 3,200 MW saved the day for Pakistan. Otherwise, the situation could have turned worse.
As a result of the power shortage, the urban centres in the country are suffering up to six-hour load shedding. The situation in rural areas is worse. Lahore, one of the biggest urban centres, has been getting only 70 per cent power of its demand.