Young PPP leader shows signs of degeneration
Generally speaking, Mr Bilawal Bhutto's recent comments on the spate of cross-border firing, his barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his previous take on Kashmir, are all so bizarre and utterly ridiculous that they hardly merit a serious response. In just 240 characters, the Oxford-educated, prince of Pakistan has shown himself to be ignorant, uncouth and incapable of putting together a coherent argument. Unfortunately, he is also the chief of one of Pakistan's biggest political parties and it is entirely possible that one day in the not-so-distant future, he will be in a position to shape Pakistan's policies towards India. This is why his absurd political worldview is problematic for India. This is also why it is important to officially set the record straight. On September 20, Mr Bhutto claimed that he will “take back all of Kashmir” since “all of it belongs to Pakistan”. Clearly, he needs a lesson in contemporary history for even Pakistan acknowledges that the State of Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India; only parts of the valley are disputed. Then, on October 7, in response to the flare-up along the line of Control, Mr Bhutto claimed that India was “adopting the Israle (sic) model vs Pakistan”. It is anybody's guess what this model looks like or how Israel's policies towards its neighbours could be compared to India's relations with Pakistan. However, what must be put beyond the realm of doubt is that it was the Pakistani Army which began the unprovoked firing on Indian positions. Mr Bhutto also lectured Prime Minister Modi that he should realise if the ceasefire violations continued, Pakistan would retaliate. In effect, this was a public threat to the head of a Government. Surely, Mr Bhutto was aware that this was below the dignity of a politician in his position. But, forget civility, even a rational argument is too much to expect from him.
In his parting shot, Mr Bhutto draws yet another odd comparison — between Pakistanis supposedly under Indian fire and those who suffered during the post-Godhra violence in Gujarat in 2002. He tags both as ‘Modi's victims', but says that the former will retaliate. Apart from the fact that Mr Bhutto's insidious insinuation, that India, under Mr Modi, has disturbed its fragile peace with Pakistan, is entirely a figment of his imagination, his overall argument is so warped that it is impossible to untangle. However, he would do well to take note of a few facts before he comments on these issues again. First, no Indian court has delivered a verdict against Mr Modi and there is nothing to prove that the former Chief Minister of Gujarat had any role to play in the 2002 violence. Second, given the sectarian lawlessness in Pakistan, Mr Bhutto cuts an especially sorry figure commenting on communal violence in India. Instead of worrying about the plight of Muslims in this country, he really should turn his attention back home where Shias and Ahmediyas, Hindus and Christians, are being slaughtered on a daily basis.