Who Is Kulbhushan Jadhav?

Kulbushan Jadhav, the Indian arrested by Pakistan. Photo by: Asianet Website

By: Sidhant Sibal

More than that what is important why Kulbhushan matters. He is a symptom of a disease that has impacted Pakistan and India for last 70 years. India has rectified it but Pakistan is going deeper into the malaise. Pakistan's symptom has become a full blown gangrene.

2017: In Kulbhushan's case --everything is alleged, as in most of India Pakistan cases. Pakistan alleges that Kulbhushan is a spy who it caught while trying to gather information in Balochistan. India alleges he was abducted from Iran.

Both don’t agree and won’t agree.

1947: 70 years ago British left the Indian sub-continent dividing into 2 countries- India & Pakistan. A secular India and the Islamic state of Pakistan. Most issues were resolved expect Kashmir. Both states went to war in 1947--as soon as getting independence. Since then many war-1965, 1971, 1999 and of course the never ending proxy war in the Indian state of Kashmir by Pakistan.

Since then both have been trying to talk. But Indo-Pak talk are like this—let’s talk. Something happens. No talks. Repeat. 

But that was till 2014. New Government under Narendra Modi wants to change India for better. An India unshackled from its past. It doesn’t see Pakistan through the prism of nostalgia or romanticism. Last PM of India --Dr Manmohan Singh's village was in Pakistan and always hoped to go to his ancestral land--that meant to have good relations with Pakistan. He was the person who coined the phrase- breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul in 2007. Modi implemented it. On 25th December 2015 --On the birthday of former PM of India Atal bihari vajpayee and the man behind the Lahore Declaration--Modi made an unannounced visit to Lahore on his way back to Kabul. 25th December also happens to be birth date of PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif. And on that day on 25th December 2015--it was double occasion to be happy since a marriage was their at the Sharif household. 

So in 1999 it was peace talk’s lead by Atal bihari vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif, in 2015 it was Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif. So many coincidences and so many parallels. But story has a final ending--In 1999 India was back stabbed by a Kargil, in 2016 it was Pathankote attack. So as I said India and Pakistan has a set pattern in which they work--or should I say used to work.

India now has a firm policy--terror and talks can’t go together. Since 2016 Pakistan has been trying to start a dialogue. India is open for it. But terror has to stop. And this has become a norm with other neighbors of Pakistan also. Afghanistan has lashed out both publicly and privately and asked Pakistan to stop its terror factories. Iran even threatened a "surgical strikes" in Pakistan if they don’t stop terror acts in its territory. Pakistan responded to Tehran saying such statements "could vitiate the environment of fraternal relations."

For the sake of Pakistani arguments (or to say Pakistani Propaganda) lets believe that India is wrong but are Afghans and Iranians also wrong? 3 of your neighbors can’t be wrong. Recently US intelligence assessment report 2017 and first under trump admin also lashed out at Pakistan saying Pakistan is solely responsible for deteriorating ties between India and Pakistan. The report also said that "Pakistani-based terrorist groups present a sustained threat to US interests in the region and continue to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan and wasn’t the mastermind of 9/11 Osama Bin Laden found on Pakistani territory”.

So, the Americans, Indians, Afghans, Iranians can’t be wrong. 

But who is actually supporting Pakistan. Pakistan China friendship is said to be-- higher than mountains, deeper than the ocean, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey. Or as they say these days-- higher than K2 Mountain, deeper than the --deep sea port of gwadar. China is constructing CPEC-China Pakistan Economic corridor from Gwadar in Balochistan to Kashgar in China. It passes through Pakistan’s restive province of Balochistan, through its most populous province of Punjab and finally through Pakistan occupied Kashmir. CPEC is important component of China's one belt one road initiative. But India won’t be part of it and was the only country in the world that boycotted it. India boycotted it because CPEC violates India's territorial sovereignty. It passes through POK and thus legitimizes Islamabad's claim to the territory. Pakistan is more than eager to become a client state of china. Its own newspaper DAWN recently published document that says that Pakistan can become a Chinese colony by the year 2030. Whatever be Chinese relations with Pakistan--it’s the impact it has on India. China itself have seen involved in various disputes with its other neighbors from Japan to Vietnam. For China, Pakistan is a pawn and Pakistan is more than eager to be also. China has been stalling India's attempts for UN sanctions on Hafiz Saeed who as responsible for 26/11 attack on the city of Mumbai killing more than 100.In love u tend to overlook the defects of your lover. Pakistan is known as the epicenter for terrorism but China is willing to overlook it.  After all its Love and geopolitics and in love, war and Geo politics everything is fair.

Till, China one day faces the heat. Some reports suggest China plans to close its border with Pakistan.  

And I wonder how does this land of pure (Pakistan=land of pure) is openly loving a country that doesn’t treats its Muslims properly. China recently banned Muslim names in Xinjiang province.      

China and Pakistan love is based on necessity. Pakistan is isolated. China wants a footprint in south Asia and Pakistan is eager to give it full body.

In this larger geopolitics Pakistan wants to make it relevant. How about kidnap an Indian and make a spectacle about it. A farcical trial without whose charge sheet and paperwork not known adds to the story. But isn’t it dejavu? 

It will be good if Pakistan returns Kulbhushan and apologizes for the crisis it is creating. Let’s hope Pakistani establishment learns.

Disclaimer: Above is an exclusive opinion written to Adamington Online by Sidhant Sibal, an Indian journalist employed at DD News (State broadcaster of India) since the year 2009. Views expressed by Sidhant Sibal in this article are his personal views & does not represent the views of his organization. Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Adamington Online’s point-of-view.