It is a pattern that has become far too familiar. Right now, as Gen Z protesters, often derisively labelled “cockroaches” by some, face batons, humiliation, and brute force at Jantar Mantar, student demonstrations are spreading across India and the government is clearly feeling the heat and instead of addressing the grievances that have brought young people onto the streets, the authorities appear eager to shift the national conversation elsewhere. The latest incident in occupied Kashmir’s Islamabad, where armed rebels fired upon police, has conveniently provided them with exactly that opportunity.
Within hours, the narrative was set. Pakistan and the ISI stand accused, with the entire episode being amplified to create a sense of looming crisis and war-like tension. It is incredible how often something flares up in Kashmir precisely when domestic unrest is gaining momentum in India or when elections are drawing near. The timing always seems suspiciously perfect, as if designed to pull public attention away from uncomfortable scenes of police action against India’s own youth and redirect it toward the usual external enemy.
Even if one accepts that this particular attack was genuine and not manufactured, it does not change the larger reality. Kashmir has been witnessing an armed rebellion since 1989, a struggle that has continued without pause through successive Indian governments. This is an internationally recognised disputed territory, not an internal law-and-order matter as New Delhi likes to portray. Since August 5, 2019, the situation has grown even more volatile. The removal of special status, the communication clampdowns, demographic anxieties, and heavy-handed policies have only deepened the frustration among the local population. In such an environment, actions by indigenous armed rebels should surprise no one who has been paying attention.
What is truly concerning is how readily these incidents are seized upon to drown out other voices. While students and young protesters are being suppressed at home, the government tries to rally the nation around a fresh Kashmir controversy, hoping the public will forget the images from Jantar Mantar. This strategy may offer short-term distraction, but it solves nothing. It ignores the genuine aspirations of Kashmiris who have lived under prolonged military occupation, and it fails to address the legitimate concerns driving protests inside India today.
The cycle is exhausting. Every time internal pressure builds, Kashmir is brought forward as the scapegoat. People should see this tactic for what it is and it is nothing less than a refusal to deal honestly with problems on both fronts. True confidence in governance would mean addressing student protests with dialogue rather than force, and approaching Kashmir with political sincerity rather than perpetual security theatre. Until that happens, the diversions will continue, but fewer and fewer people are likely to be fooled by them.
@DanielLMcAdams@Natsecjeff Time will tell. Btw you can ask some of US defence experts about US army experience in afghanistan. They will tell you who was the whore and who used whom.
Pakistan is a country that tried to sell nuclear tech to the Iranian regime back in the day and then got ratted out by the same Iranians. It is a country that is currently in a war with the same Taliban mullahs it installed in Afghanistan. It is a country where the majority of the population is highly radicalised and sympathises with all kinds of Islamist terrorists, including the Iranian regime. It is a country that refuses to name Iran even when it catches Iranian proxies red handed on its own soil. The Pakistani ruling elite has always maintained close relations with the terrorist regime in Iran. Moreover, Pakistan has a clear incentive to try to save the terrorist mullahs next door.
In simple words, nobody's really trusting Pakistani mediation here, despite my high opinion of the Field Marshal and his close relations with President Trump. Simply because Pakistan has a terrible reputation and is known for playing double games.
There's no way in hell that Pakistani mediation is going to get a long lasting deal. Zero chance. The rest is noise and Pakistan trying to get some PR points for itself. Let's see if Pakistan is about to chew more than it could swallow.