With the political instability far from over in Pakistan, there will be more efforts from Islamabad to internationalise the Kashmir issue over the next few weeks. Similarly, there will be increased terror activities from across the border in future. Top diplomatic sources privy to meetings at MEA over the Pakistan developments told The Daily Guardian that Imran Khan and his confidants are known to be ready with the plan to raise the Kashmir issue on various multilateral forums in a bid to divert the focus from internal upheaval and their own failures.
Sources further said that India might see an increase in terror activities from Pakistan’s side, with state actors there sponsoring the terror camps. “Keeping a close eye on the developments in Pakistan, the various agencies in India including MEA held crucial rounds of interactions regarding the implications of what is happening in Islamabad. Inputs from Indian High Commission to Islamabad were also analysed,” sources told The Daily Guardian.
“The conclusion is that even as Pakistan is swirling in constitutional crisis amid the latest developments, there is every possibility of the neighbouring country increasing anti-India rhetoric with the target on Kashmir,” sources said. “India has got substantial inputs through its diplomatic networks that Islamabad will soon indulge in such tactics,” say sources. “In fact, Imran Khan and leaders close to him in Pakistan are set to resort to such tactic to shift the focus of their people and world community to the issues related with India, which is obviously Kashmir,” sources added.
Sources further informed that India is ready to counter any such propaganda from Pakistan at any forum. “External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has briefed Prime Minister Narendra on the entire development and implications,” a source familiar with meetings told the newspaper. “What Imran Khan is facing is because of his abject failure on various policy fronts. It is Imran who has plunged the country into such a crisis. Therefore, with the interim elections in mind, Imran and his confidants will try to shift focus from their government’s failure. And, in this case, they will resort to Kashmir rhetoric,” a diplomat said.
“Imran’s praise for India’s foreign policy should not be seen as any change of heart. It was nothing but a show of political opportunism by Imran Khan,” sources said. Even if there comes a new government in Pakistan in future, not much change should be expected vis-à-vis India, a diplomat said.