LONDON: Recently, I availed an opportunity to sit down with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria to discuss a range of matters that included the Royal visit of Prince William , the Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, Brexit, the severe humanitarian crisis in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K) and the Hyderabad Fund case. Other than this, matters related to the Foreign Office were also an integral part of the discussions.
On the Royal visit, the high commissioner stated that the British Royal Family has had a long tradition of visiting Pakistan, adding that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the country twice previously. First in 1961 and then almost four decades later in 1997. He further added that key members of the royal family such as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Charles, the Prince of Wales, have also visited on several occasions with the latter’s last visit in 2006. The high commissioner emphasised that since the late Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales, was quite fond of the country, she also visited it thrice in her lifetime.
He stressed that it was heartening to witness the new generation of the royal family visiting Pakistan which has strong ties to the UK owing to a shared history and heritage.
He accordingly mentioned that such high-level visits signify strengthened ties between the UK and Pakistan whose economic and cultural ties are deeply infused through bilateral economic activities and a strong British-Pakistani community consisting of some 1.5 million people.
On Brexit, the high commissioner was asked about its benefits from Islamabad’s perspective given that most key indicators point out its negative impact on the UK’s economy. It was stated that every challenge has the prospect to result in some kind of an opportunity. Furthermore, he believed that in this backdrop, Pakistan and UK could further foment their trade ties.
While discussing Brexit, the high commissioner’s stance on global economic activity gradually shifting towards Asia was noteworthy. He strongly emphasised that the developed world has stagnated and Asia, being home to 60% of the global population, holds the key to future investments and development. In his opinion, for the West to invest in countries like Pakistan would be quite beneficial and for the very same reasons, he had been regularly holding meetings and provide briefings to the British government on tapping such potentials. Indeed, it has been widely projected that this century belongs to Asia and there’s much more need to be done in this regard to uplift the impoverished.
As for the crisis in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K), Prime Minister Imran Khan had been the most vocal voice for the Kashmiris on international platforms. Hence, it was asked whether the British government has or willing to take concrete steps since its official stance had been more or less neutral even at the UN.
On this, the high commissioner had the following to state, ‘Kashmir issue has several dimensions. Firstly, it’s a political issue which is an internationally recognised dispute that is on the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) agenda. There are resolutions by the UNSC which call for the right to self-determination for the Kashmiris under a plebiscite which Pakistan fully supports. Then comes the humanitarian angle and Kashmiris have been suffering for several decades owing to the atrocities being committed by the Indian government. This has all been documented by international organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and even the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva which has filed two reports the recent past’
He was of the opinion that another key report should be highlighted across the board which discusses the issue of mass graves. ‘It has been prepared by the International Peoples Tribunal, a non-governmental organisation based in IoJ&K, which has been supported by the parents of the disappeared Kashmiris,’ he added.
He highlighted that these are grave crimes committed against Kashmiris and humanity in broader spectrum which requires much attention. On the UK’s role, he stressed that it has taken a number of steps in this regard. ‘For example, their parliamentarians have been quite vocal. Over a 100 British MPs have written letters to their party leaderships, government and even the UN Secretary-General to address this ongoing crisis since 5 August in order to provide justice to the grieved Kashmiris and make the perpetrators accountable for their actions,’ he emphasised.
He further stressed that both the British government and the civil society have been working to deal with the matter since it has been already taken up with New Delhi through diplomatic channels.
When asked what solution would he, as a diplomat, provide to resolve the crisis owing to failure of the politicians over the decades, this is what the high commissioner had to say, ‘As a representative of the Government of Pakistan, I believe that this issue should be resolved amicably and in accordance with the UNSC resolutions. One important aspect I wish to mention is the security angle. The crisis has security implications for the entire region and the prime minister, and the Foreign Office have highlighted it a number of times. The Pulwama attack and its aftermath did raise alarms to some extent in the international community. The most important point is that the entire region’s socio-economic progress is being impeded by what’s happening in Kashmir, the key flashpoint of the region.’
The high commissioner had an interesting take when asked about the role played by local political factions such as the JKLF, the PDP, National Conference and the Hurriyat since their disunity is playing right into India’ hands which is attempting to paint a rosy picture in the volatile valley. He stated, ‘We don’t go into the internal politics of Kashmir as we see it as an internationally disputed state. However, the collective and concerned efforts of the Hurriyat must be commended since their leadership had either been imprisoned or under house arrest for quite a long time now. They are suffering and this what the international community should look at and accordingly intervene.’
On a personal note, the high commissioner was asked about his tenure in London and how he managed to land this coveted assignment since he was posted as high commissioner in Malaysia for only a little more than a year before being sent to London.
Incidentally, when he was sent to Malaysia, he had only three years of service left and was expected to retire there. But then he sprung a big surprise. The word in the Foreign Office has been that some highly placed connections helped the sudden move.
On this he had the following to state, ‘This was decision taken by the Government of Pakistan and I always abide by them. There were opportunities in Malaysia which I fully availed and tried to make an impact and play my role in promoting bilateral relations, particularly in the economic sector.’
Curiously, when asked whether he would seek an extension of his tenure in June 2020 since he’s retiring at the time and that some retired diplomats/civil servants historically had a long tradition of lobbying for lucrative offers of such kinds, he only mentioned that it would be up to the government to decide if it deems him worthy of some ‘more use’. He stressed he’s no one to suggest on such matters. But between the lines there was much to be read.
Lastly, when discussing the Hyderabad Fund Case whose ruling went in favour of the Nizam’s heirs in the British court and against Pakistan, the high commissioner strenuously denied any wrongdoing on his part. He highlighted that the case was initiated back in 2013 against the advice of the Foreign Office by the then envoy posted in London. He said it was pertinent to mention that the case had been legally fought for six years and is not something that occurred this year.
When it was pointed out that the legal team handling the case may not have been worthy enough to fight it out or the High Commission’s supervision not good enough, the high commissioner advised me to take up the matter with the Foreign Office since that is where such matters are dealt with.
He stressed that the answer lies in Islamabad and no one is actually happy with the outcome of the case.
This story was originally published on the 2nd of November 2019.
The writer is a journalist specialising in foreign policy and national security affairs
