India, strike while the iron is hot: Why Jadhav case gives us a chance to win against Pakistan terrorism

India has been seething in rage since its notorious neighbour Pakistan started violating the ceasefire regulations since 2014. The recent spate of attacks on officers and armymen is just an add-on and the final nail in the coffin.

Our retaliation is dimmed by our international commitments pertaining to the Geneva Convention, No-first Use policy and the active involvement of the ICJ and the United Nations in the India-Pakistan issue.

It is also to be noted that Pakistan has played safe and pledged to use the nuclear power against another country only for defensive purposes. Thus, our hands are tied but Pakistan continues to show its fangs every now and then, irrespective of what the International bodies think about it.

India's diplomatic struggle to get into the Nuclear Supply Group and the Pakistan's extensive back-door lobbying into getting a membership itself show the differences in tenacity. Incidentally, Pakistan is prepared with its nuclear projects, India being its target. This is also one of India's concerns if it retaliated. Given the Pakistani behaviour till date, the country would not hesitate in wreaking havoc on the Indian territory if need be. One thing is for certain, Pakistan can only be isolated diplomatically.

And with the tense atmosphere that the Jadhav execution row has brought with it, India can strike the iron when its hot. Pakistan is already under the glare of International Court of Justice, plus the pressure is also building upon it from the human right factions in the world to let go of Jadhav. However, there are other ways too India can turn the table against Pakistan and win the war against terrorism.

India seeks ICJ's help after 46 straight years: The court is bound to listen to it. India has cited the Vienna Protocol and said that Jadhav has been denied consular access and  India's request to access Jadhav was denied 16 times. India also said that Jadhav's parents were also not allowed to meet him, which is a grave human rights violation. In fact all requests to issue visa to the parents were unanswered.

This is unacceptable as both India and Pakistan were party to Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).India's representative at the Hague, lawyer Harish Salve argued, "If Pakistan dares to breach the directive to hold its hand till a formal hearing on India's plea, it will be inviting dangerous consequences as the issue will then be taken up by the UN Security Council." He further said, "The focus of our plea is that Jadhav's arrest was dubious, the espionage charge is a manufactured one, denying India consular access for more than a year despite repeated requests is a serious breach of the Vienna Convention and that the trial was a sham." ICJ has successfully interfered and stalled the execution of Jadhav, which could just be the beginning. 

Pakistan's behaviour towards the Jadhav case is against the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).

Indian leaders now have an argument for the international bodies: Both US and China encourage India and Pakistan to have a stable relationship for the sake of global trade partnership. The fact that India was not open about its peace negotiations with Pakistan showed it in an indifferent light. This , in turn, warded the superpowers off who thought that India is deliberately rejecting Pakistan. However, India has an argument to place now. The Jadhav case, in particular, apart from the numerous assaults that the Pakistani army has carried out on the Indian armymen. 

Good time to dig the past records: Jadhav's case could be the entry point of India's diplomatic argument against Pakistan. It can gradually place the ceasefire violations and the Pakistani infiltrations in the Indian LoC and the mass killing and abduction of army officers. These issues will certainly rock the International agencies and Pakistan may have a tough time convincing them that it was not party to any form of violence in the Indian territory.

Pakistan's souring relationship with Middle East, Afghanistan, and Iran should be put to use: Pakistan and Afghanistan have tense relations and we all know why. The alleged presence of Taliban in Pakistan has fostered an environment that does not allow a conducive environment for both the countries. Things were warming up when Taliban confirmed a visit to Islamabad.

However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's policy shift announcement was not taken in a positive light. This reflected in a suicide attack on security agency’s office in the Afghan capital. Prospects for talks further worsened when Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan in May.

The Middle East's active involvement in ripping the ISIS squad is drawing it closer to India and pulling it farther from Pakistan. The fact that Pakistan is ranked third on the Global Terror Index and the fact that it has connections with some of the worst terror factions in the world is creating further distance with the Middle East.

The once strong relationship between Pakistan and Iran is now marred by Pakistan's support of the Sunni Taliban and, which went against the ideologies of the Shia Iran. This strain overshadowed the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline where Iran was accused of rampant oil smuggling. Although, both the countries have shown interest in trade, but the announcement is to be taken at face value. There is no progress on the bilateral relations as such. 

Pakistan's declining relationship with its neighbours can help India isolate the country on a global frame. What cannot be achieved through war, could be achieved through political pressure, if Pakistan has to survive economically. However, the strike has to be made now since the iron is hot enough to change the course of history of India and Pakistan relations. 

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