Navjot Singh Sidhu should use his 'jhappi diplomacy' for these goals with Pakistan

Readers may recall my earlier articles on Sidhuism and its mismatch with national security, and how Imran Khan becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan will not change anything.I really do not want to chest thump 'I said so'. It is not my ilk. But these are important developments which also affect my nation's security. I want recall two subsequent developments in Pakistan.

Celebrations of September 6
September 6, 1965, was the day India vanquished Pakistan in the 1965 War. Indeed, some military historians do say that it was a draw than an Indian victory. No military historian has ever affirmed that Pakistan was the victor in this war. War or Indian victory is not the question here. Nor is the question of it being a defeat of Pakistan. What is important here is the subversion of facts in Pakistan before its own citizens, or may I call them subjects of ISI for reasons detailed below. But it was never in our knowledge that fallacious Pakistani soldiers killed several Indian soldiers has been propagated with September 6 every year, the day being hailed for Pakistan's 'victory' over India. The question is, who bothers if the Pakistan establishment is propagating this illusion and if the Pakistani people are consuming it. Indeed, we do not bother. But what got betrayed this year is the reaffirmation of India being their biggest enemy by General Bajwa, the Pakistani Army Chief.

Utterances of General Bajwa
Let me remind the readers that this is the same General whom Sidhu gave his 'jaadu ki jhappi'. Siddu has refused to react on merit after this statement of the Pakistani general, when confronted by media personnel. He is still mouthing the same platitudes. He is still claiming the success of his visit, the progress made on the Kartarpur Sahib issue, etc. He has self-appointed and self-knighted himself as a messenger of peace in India-Pakistan relations. I am happy that in his role as a politician he is striving for peace in the region and between two conventionally hostile nations.

Agenda for the 'messenger of peace'
But, I would like to forewarn him that in his new capacity as messenger of peace, he should realize that peace is a serious matter. It is not as superfluous or trivial as a Sidhuism. Donning the role of a peace messenger is much more that participating in a laughter challenge. Certain ground facts have to be attended to. So, I give Sidhu the following list to commence the process of peace:

   a.     He should use his as peacemaker to get Kulbhushan Jadhav, falsely implicated in espionage case back to India. Indeed, it is well within the power of his 'jaadu ki jhappi' friend, General Bajwa.
   b.     Remember Sarabjit Singh, whose body was handed over to India. Prior to this, there was Kashmir Singh, who after 30 years in a Pakistani prison on false charges, was handed over back in a vegetative state. These cases are not isolated. There are many Indian prisoners in Kot Lakpat Jail in Rawalkot. Many of them are ignorant trespassers from the border villages of Jammu and Punjab, who have accidently crossed over international border to be apprehended by Pakistani Rangers. There are many more. Let Sidhu leverage his jhappi with the Pakistani General to get these prisoners released. I would suggest Sidhu use this jhappi to go on a visit to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
   c.     Many Pakistani nationals who have been involved in terror attacks and other crimes including criminal conspiracies have undergone lower sentences and are living in India. In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, some of them have even completed further sentence under the Public Safety Act. Many of them are at the Lumpur Camp outside Delhi. These are Pakistanis. The Pakistani High Commission in India refuses to accept them and issue travel documents. They are living on Indian taxpayers money. Will Sidhu leverage his jhappi to ensure that the Pakistani establishment accepts that these are their citizens and issue them travel documents to go back to Pakistan? Not just living on tax payers money, some of them escape and start their life in crime like drug trafficking etc.

Further bucket list
I do expect that Sidhu will take up these issues as a 'messenger of peace'. I am not listing the more complex issues like terror camps, Pakistan's involvement in drug trafficking, FICN etc. They are too complicated for a beginner. But these are in the bucket list after the above tasks are achieved, as a spinoff to jhappi diplomacy.

Imran and his men
Now, readers may also recall my earlier article that Imran Khan's election as Pakistan Prime Minister will not make any material difference to Pakistan's endeavour of supporting terrorist groups. This is because the Pakistan Prime Minister is a subordinate of the military and ISI in functional terms. More erudite friends of mine, like Mahroof Raja or RSN Singh, have vouched for this. In case anyone thought these were the rants of a Indian military experts brought up on anti-Pakistan rhetoric, I may like to recall a recent statement of Pakistan Prime Minister that Pakistan will not join the united war against terrorism. Surely, he can't budge from the ISI and militia brief. Even if it mean changing his party's name from Pakistan's Tehrik-i-Insaaf Party to Pakistan's Terrorist-e-Islam party. 

Sab watan ki baat hai. 

Salauddin sahib ka salah maan lo, tho Hafeez sahib, takht ko hafeez rakhkenge.

Inshaallah.

(RVS Mani is a former Central government officer who shot to prominence as a whistleblower in 2009, when he alleged he had been forced to sign documents that fabricated a narrative of 'Saffron Terror'. His book, 'Hindu Terror: Insider account of Ministry of Home Affairs', was released recently.)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)