Indian films may have been banned in Pakistan after August 5, 2019, but Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is still very fond of these films. He revealed on February 26 that he recently watched Bollywood film Panipat, but he was disappointed because historical facts about the third battle of Panipat between Afghan Army and Maratha Army were distorted in the film.
Khan expressed his disappointment on this film while addressing a ceremony held to commemorate Pakistan’s response to Indian attack in Balakot on February 26 last year. Officials of the Army, Air Force and Naval High Command were present at the ceremony and Khan was seen angrily asking why the Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali was portrayed as a villain in that Indian film. He then attacked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, comparing him to the Nazis. Panipat was made by Ashutosh Gowariker, not by Modi.
Most of the Pakistanis watch Indian films these days on Netflix because Indian content is banned in cinemas and on cable networks. I was delighted to know that our prime minister is also defying the ban on Indian films like me and many others. Khan is right that some facts were distorted in the film but the role of some Muslims who helped the Maratha Army against Abdali was not distorted. The Artillery Commander of Maratha Army, Ibrahim Khan, and another commander Shamsher were Muslims but they never betrayed Marathas. An Afghan princess Sakina Begum also helped the Maratha Army. It was Aradhak Singh who stabbed the Marathas in the back in the end. All was not bad in the film and all is not bad in all of India.
Khan has been very critical of Modi since August last year, while on the other hand, he is asking US President Donald Trump, again and again, to mediate between India and Pakistan. Few people know that Pakistan released captured Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman last year on the intervention of Trump in hope that the US president will use his influence to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Khan is very much aware that Trump is in competition with Barack Obama. The first black president of the US received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. Now, Trump wants the the coveted prize at every cost this year before the upcoming election in November. He is trying to sell peace in different parts of the world. He unilaterally announced a peace deal in the Middle East a few weeks back but Palestinians rejected that deal. Then he successfully used Pakistan to persuade the Taliban to strike a peace deal with the US. This deal will be announced on February 29. He also wants to mediate between Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute. He thinks that by bringing peace in Afghanistan and Kashmir he will be able to get a Nobel Peace Prize. He is doing many odd and crazy things for becoming a strong candidate for the prize.
Trump praised Pakistan during his recent India visit and repeated his offer to mediate between Pakistan and India. Many Indians are very angry with Trump for praising their enemy in front of them. Some people in Pakistan are very happy with Trump but the question is whether Pakistan can trust Trump. He is a very unpredictable man. He is the same man who suspended a peace dialogue in September 2019 because the Taliban refused to visit Camp David for signing a peace accord, whilst maintaining that it was because Taliban carried out a bombing just the day before killing an American soldier. It was a big embarrassment not only for Pakistan but also for all those countries that were part of the peace process including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, China, Russia, Germany, UK and some others.
Trump immediately realised that he committed a big blunder because the Taliban increased their attacks all over Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, American peace envoy in Afghanistan, then requested Pakistan to resume peace talks with the Taliban. It was very difficult for Pakistan to convince Afghan Taliban for coming back to peace talks. Finally, Pakistan convinced the Taliban with the help of Qatar. All those who think that just signing an agreement between the Taliban and US will be enough to bring peace in Afghanistan are mistaken. It fight for peace in Afghanistan is a tough one. The Taliban will not accept Ashraf Ghani as the president of Afghanistan. They want an interim government which can make changes in the Constitution. The power-sharing formula is yet to be decided. All that is not possible before November 2020. But Trump is in a hurry. He wants back-to-back peace deals in Afghanistan and Kashmir, which is not possible. He antagonised his hosts in India by praising Pakistan. If he wants to become a mediator, then he should be acceptable to all stakeholders. He claimed that he enjoys good relations with both Indian PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan and that is why he can mediate between Pakistan and India. The fact of the matter is that Khan can trust Trump but a majority of Pakistanis don’t trust him due to his recent role in the Middle East. He announced a peace deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the Palestinians were not consulted with, nor invited to participate in.
Though he expressed the desire to become mediator in India, he never went to Pakistan. There are many people in Pakistan who think that Trump praised Pakistan in India because he only wants to finalise a deal with the Taliban. His praise was just a bluff because, in reality, he ignored Pakistan. The question is, why is Khan asking Trump to be mediator between India and Pakistan, while on the other side he uses Indian film Panipat to criticise his counterpart Modi in front of Pakistani Armed Forces?
The fact remains that Khan has failed to provide economic relief to his countrymen. He needs something to satisfy growing resentment among the Pakistani public. Now he is trying to use Trump for a breakthrough with Kashmir. Let us, for a while, assume that India agrees to resume talks with Pakistan. Even then it will be very difficult for Khan to convince his political opponents in Pakistan to accept Trump as a negotiator for peace. Many opposition leaders have already raised questions on the repeated mediation offers made by Trump. Pakistan Peoples Party’s Senator Sherry Rehman and National Party’s Senator Hasil Bizinju spoke in Senate recently and asked why Trump is making mediation offers again and again. Who gave him that mandate? Is there a secret deal between Khan and Trump that the parliament is not aware of? Another opposition Senator Raza Rabbani completely rejected a recent offer made by Trump by saying that “Trump is pro-India”.
One cannot be sure whether or not Indians will accept Trump, but a majority of Pakistanis will not approve of him as a mediator, including some ministers in Khan's cabinet. Pakistan and India are neighbours. Some day or the other, they will have to speak with one other. It would be better to begin a dialogue on their own, without seeking out external mediators. Pakistan and India need good relations with the US but do not need interference in their disputes from the US. Trump cannot be trusted. He does not want peace; he only wants the Peace Prize.
Hamid Mir works for Geo TV Pakistan and tweets at @HamidMirPAK
