The tectonic shift in global power alliances during the last decade, especially in last five years is evident. While Russia is cozying up to its one time sworn enemy Pakistan, US seems to have crossed centuries in embracing India as its friend and natural ally. Today, Russia supports talks with Taliban to give them due share of power in Afghanistan and US advocates and supports Indian presence in the war torn country at the cost of stability of its one time trusted friend and ally Pakistan. At the same time, China and Iran want to play a constructive and decisive role in stabilising Afghanistan, accepting Taliban as a major partner for settlement of Afghan problem and not as a terror group unlike US and its new found bedfellow India.
Farther down the East of India, Pakistan and China tri-junction, US has been busy establishing and projecting its old victim, Vietnam, as the main hub and nucleus of economic activities in the region with active support and assistance from its Western and far Eastern allies.
It would appear that for all the global powers, the entire world has converged in the Asian region at the tri junction of China, Pak, India with Afghanistan being used as a side kick and a punching bag, both at the same time.
The reason for this phenomenon in deed simply lies in US attempts at containment of the unstoppable rise of the dragon from the East. But, it is actually more interesting to understand why and how.
In the backdrop of depleting oil reserves of the middle east and the instability very successfully created by US and its allies in the region, the West led by US has been preparing to pounce on more lucrative and resourceful preys. The unexplored wealth of natural resources and volumes of potential trade offered byCentral Asia have been a target of US greed for some time now. Afghanistan as the gateway to the region, with then trusted ally Pakistan as its gatekeeper, became the target of US aggression primarily for that reason, 9/11 and Taliban being just an entry visa. Overestimating its strength while underestimating the Afghan resolve, US miserably failed in controlling this gateway to Central Asia. In the process, it even lost Pakistan, an age old ally that it now doesn’t understand how to tame and retain in its fold.
On the other hand, the economic progress of China has been a cause of concern for US. For the last two decades, the ever expanding military might and growing influence of the dragon in the region has been its great worry of late. But what is giving sleepless nights to US, its Western, far Eastern and newly found Eastern allies, all alike? The answer to this question lies directly in China’s “Belt and Roadinitiative”. One Belt One Road, OBOR, as it is more commonly known, aims at connecting China with its neighbours on Western and Southern side through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC. Obviously the US is not at all worried about the possibilities that CPEC opens for Pakistan, being the custodians of the Pivotal and Focal point in this ambitious corridor that envisages to connect three continents Asia, Europe and Africa. The Port at Gwadhar in Pakistan’s Balochistan province not only addresses what is known as “China’s Malacca Dilemma” but it also physically connects Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Europe with the Mainland China. The Belt and Road Initiative, after becoming fully operational, obviously has the potential to transform China into a major global power, at par with US, if not ahead of it.
Be that as it may, interestingly enough, the phenomenon brings Kashmir sharply into focus. The reason simply being that the very first initiative and the bedrock of the ambitious OBOR project in CPEC that essentially passes through Pakistan Administered Kashmir in Gilgit Baltistan area. The area being inseparable part of CPEC brings Kashmir to the nucleus of Belt and Road initiative that not only renews the old ‘Silk Route’ but adds multiple geographical, geopolitical, geo economic and geostrategic dimensions to a potentially “New world order”.
In the revolutionary age of Information Technology when the entire world has shrunk into a global village, it is a lot easy to understand the importance of a minuscule territory called Jammu and Kashmir in this equation. But today, especially today, we must truly feel indebted to the visionary Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who had foreseen the potential of this unfortunate state, divided, occupied and ruled by two South Asian giants and adversaries. Among various other resources of J&K, the potential of becoming a nuclear flash point in an appropriately connected world had always incited the legend Maqbool Bhat to inspire his coming generations to tread on the path of freedom of J&K, the path that he ignited by sacrificing his own life at gallows in Tihar Jail, the death cell of Indian Liberty and Freedom.
Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat had always believed in the potential offered by his unfortunate homeland and the will of its people to fight for its freedom. This belief made him happily accept the gallows with this profound and his favourite message for his people, “This nation belongs to us, the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We will nurture it and safeguard its freedom with our blood, sweat and tears.”
While China, with Xi Jin Ping’s ambition to establish OBOR marches from east to west and south, today, on the martyrdom anniversary of this great leader, we wow to march on the path of freedom of our motherland Kashmir that promises to become a focal point to facilitate unity and harmony of various continents whose prosperity flows through it.
And with that pledge in our hearts, we once again salute our visionary and charismatic leader, Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who will continue to live eternally in our hearts.