India's failure to resolve the Kashmir issue and improve relationship with Pakistan has been an "impediment" to India's rise and become the greatest hurdle in it becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's envoys have claimed.
"What is the incentive (for peace talks). The biggest incentive in failure to resolve Kashmir and improve relationship with Pakistan is (the) single biggest obstacle to peace security and stability in South Asia. It is an impediment to India's rise," Special Kashmir Envoy of the Pakistan PM, Mushahid Hussain Syed, said in Washington.
Syed along with Shazra Mansab, who is another Kashmir Envoy, are currently visiting the US as part of the Pakistani effort to apprise the international community of the current situation in Kashmir and allegations of human rights violations in the Valley.
Responding to a question in their joint appearance at the Atlantic Council -- a top American think-tank -- Syed warned that New Delhi's inability to resolve the Kashmir issue and improve ties with its neighbour Pakistan would prevent India from becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"It is an impediment to India's economic development. If Kashmir had been solved, Shashi Tharoor would have been Secretary General of the United Nations. If Kashmir had been resolved India would have been in Nuclear Suppliers Group.
"If Kashmir would have been resolved, India would have been permanent member of the UN Security Council. But as long as you have disputes with your neighbour, you have a lingering dispute under the United Nations resolutions, which you have promised to implement and you are not implementing them for expediency reasons, you can't be at the high table in the world of global politics," Syed said.
To another question, Syed warned that any violation of the Indus Water Treaty would be considered as an "act of war" and a "violation" of the international treaty.
Stating that India too might face similar problems on its Brahmaputra river, which originates from China, the Pakistani official threatened this would "boomerang" on India.
"It's not (just an issue) between India and Pakistan. It (involves) World Bank. If you start doing that, we are a lower riparian, but do not forget one thing, India is some lower riparian vis-a-vis China. And the Brahmaputra river has origins there. It is going to boom rang on you. That would be disastrous," he said.
Earlier in their remarks, both Syed and Mansab reiterated the allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir and described slain terrorist Burhan Wani as a "freedom fighter".
Syed said there have been, however, positive developments in Indo-Pak ties recently, with the national security advisors from the two countries establishing a contact.
However, the envoys had to face tough questions on human rights violations inside Pakistan from people belonging to Balochistan, Sindh and Pak- occupied Kashmir, who accused the Pakistani establishment of grave violation of human rights, extra-judicial killings, and arrests and tortures by Pak Army and ISI besides raising questions on "duplicity" of Pakistan with regard to fight against terrorism.
Photograph: PTI Photo