By: Azhar Azam
*The edited version of this article first appeared in Pakistan today with the title "Trouble in Hong Kong"
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/07/12/trouble-in-hong-kong/
The diplomatic feud between China and the UK spiraled after hundreds of young protestors stormed into the office of Hong Kong Legislative Council, wrecked the statutory headquarters and marred its walls with graffiti. The violent demonstrators also hoisted the former colonial flag, British Union Jack.
In his swindling statement, the UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt obliquely reproved the dissidents and at the same time, assured “unwavering UK support” for the Hongkongers. Earlier, Hunt rebuffed to rule out sanctions on China and expelling its diplomats. The Tory leadership contender also urged China to honor “one country, two systems” agreement, narrating UK “principles” that precede its “commercial interests”.
Execrably, the UK’s proclamation about standing with the “principles” has a vile history. In fact, its “commercial interests” have supplanted its moral positions on numerous instances. Fearing the US tariff blows, the arrest and intended extradition of the whistleblower WikiLeaks publisher, Julian Assange, manifestly exposes UK’s ability to stick by the values.
It was the “commercial interests” of the UK that exhilarated it to leave flee the sub-continent in 1947 without resolving the core Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Resultantly, the two South Asian nations have so far fought four battles as well as continue to go through skirmishes on borders and incessantly remain on the verge of atomic war. That is why; Kashmir is dubbed as the nuclear flashpoint between the two countries.
Had Britain conformed to its professed moral standards, it would have not ignored the bawling whines of the millions of Kashmiri men, women, and children – who are everyday tortured, raped, and killed by Indian oppressive forces. But as soon as the British “commercial interests” are tied with India, it is happy to concede the “principles”.
UK has frequently shored up its support for the radical elements that pose significant threats to the national interests of Pakistan. It harbors and provides asylums to the terrorists involved in killing, ransom, and other activities in Pakistan’s most populated city of Karachi and to those who have been engaged in emasculating country’s fate-changer infrastructure project, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Gwadar port in Balochistan.
Pakistan listed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization in April 2006, after the Baloch separatist group conducted terrorist attacks on Pakistan armed forces. Although, Britain also proscribed BLA in July 2006 but it is still housing Hyrbyair Marri, one of the most wanted terrorists in Pakistan. Under the leadership of Marri, the terrorist group has assumed the responsibility of copious terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
As the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has now designated BLA as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and has also added it to Specially Designation Nationals (SDN) list, it is about the time for Britain to scratch the political asylum of Marri and handover the terrorist back to Islamabad. This would not only bridge the Pakistan-UK trust deficit in the area of terrorism but will also pragmatically rationalize British claim about standing for “principles”.
Unfortunately as of now, UK is not showing any seriousness about ceasing its soil for overseeing terrorist activities in other countries and impairing their interests. In the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC), the UK allowed anti-Pakistan group’s supporters to raise banners that blemish the integrity and sovereignty of Islamabad. Pakistan again has conveyed its strong concerns with the UK over the use of sports for such propaganda campaigns.
Britain is even diffident to back its own politicians too. It is a national embarrassment for the UK and its people that a President of foreign country pans its London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him a “disaster” and instead of patronizing his native administrator, the foreign secretary of UK “150 percent” supported Trump’s attack.
A country that cannot flash solidarity with its compatriots from external oratory assaults, perhaps would not comprehend Pakistani version. Delving into the past, the UK-ruled or Britain-administrated British Empire reigned enormous regions. It mugged and ransacked the wealth and resources of a number of poor nations to burgeon the Kingdom.
Eventually, British prestige started to decline after the second world war and in 1997, the transfer of Hong Kong to China, marked “the last nail in the coffin” of British “Vampire” that enslaved and caused deaths of millions across many parts of the world.
The UK should learn from the past and must play an emphatic role in resolving Kashmir issue as well as ought to prevent its land from becoming safe havens for the listed terrorists that destabilize peace and sovereignty of its partner nations.
It would only then, foreign secretary Hunt could be entitled to assert “If you are asking me about the trade-off between our trading relations and our principles, in the end this is a country that has always defended the values we believe in”.
*The edited version of this article first appeared in Pakistan today with the title "Trouble in Hong Kong"
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/07/12/trouble-in-hong-kong/
The diplomatic feud between China and the UK spiraled after hundreds of young protestors stormed into the office of Hong Kong Legislative Council, wrecked the statutory headquarters and marred its walls with graffiti. The violent demonstrators also hoisted the former colonial flag, British Union Jack.
In his swindling statement, the UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt obliquely reproved the dissidents and at the same time, assured “unwavering UK support” for the Hongkongers. Earlier, Hunt rebuffed to rule out sanctions on China and expelling its diplomats. The Tory leadership contender also urged China to honor “one country, two systems” agreement, narrating UK “principles” that precede its “commercial interests”.
Execrably, the UK’s proclamation about standing with the “principles” has a vile history. In fact, its “commercial interests” have supplanted its moral positions on numerous instances. Fearing the US tariff blows, the arrest and intended extradition of the whistleblower WikiLeaks publisher, Julian Assange, manifestly exposes UK’s ability to stick by the values.
It was the “commercial interests” of the UK that exhilarated it to leave flee the sub-continent in 1947 without resolving the core Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Resultantly, the two South Asian nations have so far fought four battles as well as continue to go through skirmishes on borders and incessantly remain on the verge of atomic war. That is why; Kashmir is dubbed as the nuclear flashpoint between the two countries.
Had Britain conformed to its professed moral standards, it would have not ignored the bawling whines of the millions of Kashmiri men, women, and children – who are everyday tortured, raped, and killed by Indian oppressive forces. But as soon as the British “commercial interests” are tied with India, it is happy to concede the “principles”.
UK has frequently shored up its support for the radical elements that pose significant threats to the national interests of Pakistan. It harbors and provides asylums to the terrorists involved in killing, ransom, and other activities in Pakistan’s most populated city of Karachi and to those who have been engaged in emasculating country’s fate-changer infrastructure project, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Gwadar port in Balochistan.
Pakistan listed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization in April 2006, after the Baloch separatist group conducted terrorist attacks on Pakistan armed forces. Although, Britain also proscribed BLA in July 2006 but it is still housing Hyrbyair Marri, one of the most wanted terrorists in Pakistan. Under the leadership of Marri, the terrorist group has assumed the responsibility of copious terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
As the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has now designated BLA as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and has also added it to Specially Designation Nationals (SDN) list, it is about the time for Britain to scratch the political asylum of Marri and handover the terrorist back to Islamabad. This would not only bridge the Pakistan-UK trust deficit in the area of terrorism but will also pragmatically rationalize British claim about standing for “principles”.
Unfortunately as of now, UK is not showing any seriousness about ceasing its soil for overseeing terrorist activities in other countries and impairing their interests. In the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC), the UK allowed anti-Pakistan group’s supporters to raise banners that blemish the integrity and sovereignty of Islamabad. Pakistan again has conveyed its strong concerns with the UK over the use of sports for such propaganda campaigns.
Britain is even diffident to back its own politicians too. It is a national embarrassment for the UK and its people that a President of foreign country pans its London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him a “disaster” and instead of patronizing his native administrator, the foreign secretary of UK “150 percent” supported Trump’s attack.
A country that cannot flash solidarity with its compatriots from external oratory assaults, perhaps would not comprehend Pakistani version. Delving into the past, the UK-ruled or Britain-administrated British Empire reigned enormous regions. It mugged and ransacked the wealth and resources of a number of poor nations to burgeon the Kingdom.
Eventually, British prestige started to decline after the second world war and in 1997, the transfer of Hong Kong to China, marked “the last nail in the coffin” of British “Vampire” that enslaved and caused deaths of millions across many parts of the world.
The UK should learn from the past and must play an emphatic role in resolving Kashmir issue as well as ought to prevent its land from becoming safe havens for the listed terrorists that destabilize peace and sovereignty of its partner nations.
It would only then, foreign secretary Hunt could be entitled to assert “If you are asking me about the trade-off between our trading relations and our principles, in the end this is a country that has always defended the values we believe in”.