Announcing the setting up of a new Army Rocket Force at a ceremony held in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif uttered a war cry saying, “I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind, you cannot snatch even a drop of water from Pakistan.”
Shehbaz Sharif also warned that if India attempted to withhold Indus river water, “you will be again taught such a lesson that you will be left holding your ears.”
The Pakistani Prime Minister’s threat comes in the wake of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto making jingoistic remarks about waging a war against India. Chinese made JF-17 fighter planes made a flypast at the ceremony with Asim Munir, former PM Nawaz Sharif and other top leaders watching.
It seems there is a race going on nowadays among Pakistani leaders to issue threats against India. After suffering huge damage to their airbases and terror headquarters, the army and Pakistani leaders are busy trying to boost the sagging morale of the terrorists.
Former Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, India should not attach much importance to such war cries emanating from a failed state like Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army and their leaders are gung-ho after Trump met Asim Munir over lunch and the Pakistani Army Chief went to the US again to attend a farewell ceremony of the US Central Command chief. Counter-terrorism talks are presently going on in Islamabad with US counter-terrorism coordinator over how to deal with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State Khorasan and Balochistan Liberation Army.
Trump has already imposed a minimum 19 pc tariff on Pakistan and promised to sign a trade deal apart from exploring Pakistan’s oil reserves.
Why is the US so much benevolent towards Pakistan? What is Donald Trump’s problem with India?
Former Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup put it succinctly. Firstly, he said, Trump is unhappy over India being active in BRICS grouping because he considers BRICS an anti-American alliance that wants to replace the US dollar with an alternative currency.
Secondly, Trump had claimed at least 34 times that it was he who brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, but India never accepted his claim. India repeatedly said, the ceasefire took place at the request of the DGMO of Pakistani Army. Naturally, Trump felt piqued, because Pakistan was praising him for brokering peace and even nominated him for Nobel Peace Prize.
Thirdly, the tariff hike to 50 pc against India and penalty threat for buying Russian oil, are all part of Trump’s pressure tactics. He wants India to accept his terms before getting the tariff lowered. India’s dairy, farming and GM crops are three such sectors, where Prime Minister Modi is unwilling to bend, and this has got Trump’s goat.
Trump’s another concern is, if Russia agrees to a ceasefire with Ukraine after his summit with Putin in Alaska on August 15, he will have to remove all economic sanctions imposed till now against Russia. Putin is not going to accept a ceasefire without the sanctions being lifted. If it happens, Trump cannot have the excuse of imposing penalty on India for buying Russian oil. How can he object to India buying Russian oil if sanctions against Russia are lifted?
In Urdu poetry, there is a verse, “Ibtida-e-Ishq Hai, Rota Hai Kya? Aagey Aagey Dekhiye Hota Hai Kya.” (literal meaning: This is the beginning of love, do not cry, wait and see what is going to happen).