Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
PM the Hon. Scott Morrison
Open Letter
to
The Hon. Scott
Morrison, MP, Prime Minister of Australia
On his virtual summit meeting with
Hon. Narendra Damodardas Modi, Prime Minister of India,
On 4 June
2020
from
Khizar Niazi
Khizar Niazi
The Hon. Scott Morrison, MP,
Prime Minister of
Australia,
Canberra, ACT
Hon. Prime Minister,
Every proud Australian citizen is happy
to learn that you will be holding a “virtual summit” meeting with your Indian
counterpart, Hon. Narendra Damodarsas Modi on 4 June. It is heartening to note
that in the long over-due meeting, the two “like-minded democracies and natural
strategic partners” will be exploring “new opportunities in defence, trade,
maritime safety and security, science and technology, and
education”.
Given the on-going Indo-China stand-off at Ladakh, PM Modi would, almost certainly, solicit Australia’s support against China. India is our valued ally. We are morally bound to act as its true friends and genuine well-wishers, not as taken-for-granted camp-followers. We must, therefore, advise it what we believe is in its best interest.
Besides, we must also protect, project and promote our national interests, without compromising on principles; and foster excellent relationships with our time-tested allies, without inventing new enemies. Australia is a medium-sized power in every sense of the word. It cannot afford to get involved in the Big Powers’ wars. It’s good to have Big Powers as allies but better not to behave like them. Discretion is always the best part of valor.
As the Prime Minister of a democratic country, deeply
committed to peaceful co-existence and resolution of disputes according to
International Law and morality, the UN Charter and Diplomatic Conventions, you
may kindly make the following points during your discussions with PM
Modi:
1. War creates more problems than it
solves. It has never been the best option.
2.
A developing country like India, where millions of people are still living
under poverty line, breeding on foot-paths for generations, cannot afford to go
to war, and that too, with a country like China. Why to start a war that cannot
be won? Why commit suicide?
3. The border
between India and China, spanning over 2,000 km, is the longest undefined
disputed international boundary in the world. It is humanly impossible to
settle the dispute militarily. Reason must prevail.
4. As for the latest show-down in Ladakh, it was India
that fired the first salvo. On 5th August 2019, it breached the understanding
with China that status quo in the disputed areas would not be disturbed. It
unilaterally changed constitutional status of the State of Jammu & Kashmir
by turning it into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
China protested but it fell on deaf ears. Then it went to UNSC along with
Pakistan, to no avail yet again. Thereafter, President Xi Jingping went to
Chennai and held an informal summit meeting with PM Modi on 12 October 2109. He
suggested that the dispute over Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir demanded
trilateral cooperation between the three countries involved viz; India, China
and Pakistan. But PM Modi dismissed the proposal summarily. And this was not
even reported by the Indian media. Having exhausted multilateral as well as
bilateral options, China was left with no choice to nullify India’s
questionable action but to resort to physical intervention.
5.
PM Modi needs to be advised that the best way out of the imbroglio created by
his 5th August action is to have trilateral cooperation as suggested by
President Xi Jingping.
6. Australia is
respected in the world as the champion of Human Rights. Our support for victims
of human rights violations not only in our neighborhood but also in far off
places in Africa and the Middle East is highly appreciated the world over. But
when it comes to human rights violations in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK), we
are accused, and rightly so, of having double standards. Our silence even after
publication of the Human Rights report on the atrocities in India, including in
IHK, is indefensible. Thanks to Covid-19, Hon. Prime Minister, you now know
what lock-down means. So you can well imagine what the hapless 8 million
civilians in IHK, locked down by 900,000 security personnel, have been going
through for the last nine months. You may, therefore, avail yourself of this
opportunity to make amends and convey to PM Modi Australia’s strongest
condemnation at the human rights violations in IHK.
Hon.
Prime Minister,
I am writing this to assist
you in speaking out as a true representative of the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual
and multi-religious nation which genuinely believes in the sanctity of human
rights and peaceful co-existence not only at home but also in every corner of
the world.
Yours truly,
Khizar Niazi
Khizar_niazi@hotmail.com
