UN, US humiliate Pakistan

Pakistan was humiliated on the world stage on Wednesday after it attempted to crank up international pressure on India on the Kashmir issue.

A range of lawmakers, analysts, and diplomats called Pakistan a terrorist entity, said it should be denied foreign aid, and proposed that its leaders, including its military generals, be sanctioned and stopped from traveling to the United States for consistently cheating the world community on terrorism.

A congressional hearing in Washington and the United Nations general assembly were the forums for Pakistan's public shaming after its representatives tried to rake up the Kashmir situation in the wake of the violence in the Indian state.

Accusing his counterpart of misusing the UN platform with phony concern about human rights, India's permanent representative at the UN Syed Akbaruddin lashed out at Pakistan, calling it "a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists."

India's excoriation of Pakistan was mild compared to what transpired in the US Congress a few hours before. US lawmakers and experts testifying before a congressional panel called for designating Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism and for cutting off all aid to Islamabad, reports Times of India.

"They are making chumps out of us. They see us being so stupid. It seems like paying the mafia," said congressman Matt Salmon, who was holding the hearing.

"If I may use an undiplomatic term, we have been patsies," said former US ambassador to Afghanistan and Bush era diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad.

Khalidzad went so far as to suggest the US should use its clout with the IMF to shut down even that source of funding for Pakistan. No lawmaker disagreed. Not one stood up for Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Thursday said the people of Pakistan are appalled at the views expressed by certain American lawmakers in the US Congress regarding Pakistan, reports Dawn.

Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday declared slain Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani a "martyr" and said July 19 will be observed as a "black day" to express solidarity with people of Kashmir.

Addressing a special cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in Kashmir, Sharif termed the "movement of Kashmiris as a movement of freedom".

"Pakistan would continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination," the Prime Minister said.

Moreover he  directed all the relevant departments to highlight the Kashmir issue at international fora.

Curfew was yesterday clamped in all the 10 districts of the Kashmir. 36 persons have died and over 3,100 injured in clashes following the killing of Burhan Wani last week.