India Must Not Let Bernie Sanders Tilt Towards The Pakistani Stand On J & K
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
In India, people often accuse politicians of pandering to sectarian interests and fashioning their speeches to appeal to the audience they are addressing. But after reading the comments of Bernie Sanders, US Senator and presidential contender from the Democratic Party, on Jammu & Kashmir, one feels that politicians all over the world have similar traits despite trying to sound righteous.
Sanders first tweeted "India's action (in Kashmir) is unacceptable and the communications blockade must be lifted immediately, and the US government must speak out boldly in support of international humanitarian live and in support of a UN backed peaceful resolution" and then repeated the same in front of a loudly-cheering audience in Houston made up mostly of Muslims. It meant that in order to win Muslim votes, Sanders was communalizing the issue just as politicians in India do. It also meant that Sanders was playing to the gallery rather than making a foreign policy statement.
But a US Army veteran, Colonel Lawrence Sellin, called him out. Sellin said that "Bernie Sanders couldn't find Kashmir on a map if it was colored with a bright blue crayon. That statement was likely influenced by his Pakistani campaign manager and Muslim activist, Faiz Shakir, who may be aggressively promoting pro-Pakistani positions." If that is indeed the reason, it must raise an alarm in Indian diplomatic circles and the country must take measures to counter this. For, if Sanders gets the Democratic nomination and wins the Presidential race, his administration would display a pro-Pakistani tilt if Shakir maintains his closeness with Sanders.
When most governments across the world have taken a position that India's action in J & K is its internal matter and when even the Democratic Party has not taken any stand on the issue, Sanders' take on the issue is entirely his personal opinion. But since he might become the President of the United States, India must try to influence him to take an impartial stand after hearing every opinion and not be influenced by vested interests.
Pic courtesy: commondreams.org
