By KO Correspondent
Srinagar- Right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi refusing a midnight call from his then Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan following 2019 Balakot crisis to Pakistan’s ISI tipping off India on a specific Al Qaeda attack in Kashmir, a book by India’s former High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria reveals previously undisclosed communications and actions between the two estranged nations during his stint in the neighbouring country.
The book titled ‘Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan,’ lays out in great detail the incidents that took place in 2019, especially in the aftermath of the Pulwama bombing that killed 40 CRPF jawans and following the withdrawal of J&K’s special status in August of that year. The relationship between India and Pakistan faced significant tension after India’s airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, on February 26, 2019. The action was in retaliation to the Pulwama attack.
The book also describes Bisaria’s interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and key members of the Indian establishment as they dealt with the multiple crises that took place during that time.
Bisaria details a “panic-stricken” midnight call from Khan to the PM Modi, seeking to avert a military crisis. He highlights Pakistan’s concern over “credible intelligence” indicating nine Indian missiles aimed at Pakistani territory after the Balakot strikes, emphasizing the efforts made to prevent an escalation.
“At around midnight, I got a call in Delhi from Pakistani High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, now in Islamabad, who said that PM Imran Khan was keen to talk to Prime Minister Modi. I checked upstairs and responded that our prime minister was not available at that hour, but in case Imran Khan had any urgent message to convey, he could, of course, convey it to me. I got no call back that night,” Bisaria says in his book.
Later that night, the US and UK envoys in Delhi told India’s foreign secretary that Pakistan was “ready to de-escalate the situation, act on India’s dossier, and to seriously address the issue of terrorism”, Bisaria says in the book.
Bisaria noted Imran Khan’s decision to release captured Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as a move towards de-escalation, attributing it to India’s assertive diplomacy during the crisis.
The book also revealed India’s willingness to send an aircraft to retrieve Varthaman, who was held captive by Pakistan after downing a Pakistani jet, yet Pakistan refused permission, citing the sensitive optics following the hostilities.
Later, in a campaign speech, PM Mod mentioned the incident and said, “Fortunately, Pakistan announced that the pilot would be sent back to India. Else, it would have been qatal ki raat, a night of bloodshed.”
Bisaria also reveals an instance in June 2019 when Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, tipped off India through the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about an impending al-Qaeda plot targeting Kashmir. This advance warning, conveyed via diplomatic channels, was aimed at averting a potential attack, emphasizing ISI’s stance of non-involvement in any retaliatory strikes post-Pulwama and, in this instance, after the killing of the then Valley’s Al Qaeda commander Zakir Musa. The fore-warning turned out to be genuine as the attack, according to Bisaria was actually in works and was pre-empted in time.
The book also mentions that some nations had offered to dispatch special envoys to the subcontinent, but this was deemed unnecessary. “Even China, not to be outdone, proposed sending its deputy minister to both countries to facilitate de-escalation. India, however, politely declined the offer,” Bisaria says.
Regarding the broader regional geopolitics, the diplomat notes that Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, urged China to support Islamabad after the United States sided with India against China. Yet, Chinese President Xi Jinping firmly stated, “China will not be favoring Pakistan over India.”
“I learned that Khan had suggested to the Chinese that they should back Pakistan due to the US supporting India against China. However, President Xi Jinping reacted sharply to Khan’s simplistic geopolitical assessment and affirmed that China would not be favoring Pakistan over India,” Bisaria recounts.
“He advised Khan that it is the US that could assist Pakistan in its relationship with India, and it would be in Pakistan’s best interest to reconcile with both the US and Afghanistan,” Bisaria writes.
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