Well known Guyanese Islamist nationalist Ray Chickrie, in a letter captioned “India seeks Guyana support against Pakistan” (May 29), asserted unsubstantiated claims on the recent visit of a multi party delegation to Guyana.The assertions lack validity and need correction. Also, Ray accuses the visiting delegation of presenting a one sided perspective on India-Pakistan matters. His remarks are themselves one-sided tinged, supporting Pakistan.
Let it be clear — the visiting delegation was not in Guyana to convince the President Irfaan led government to take sides between Pakistan and India. At any rate, Guyana has consistently remained friendly with India and has sided with India on every issue going back to 1966. India doled out several billions in American dollars in assistance to Guyana over the last 65 years; Pakistan gave zero. It is a no brainer on which side Guyana will choose.
There seems to be a misunderstanding on the purpose of the mission. The premise, Ray’s assertion, that the delegation was here to make the Guyana government pick sides between India and Pakistan is simply erroneous and indicative of lack of understanding of the visit and the issue of terror. There is only one side to pick and that is ‘against terrorism’. One must stand against terror, and Ray himself condemned the terror attack against Hindus who were killed after affirming their genitals that were not Muslims. Such behavior does not belong in a civilized society.
India has been battling terror exported from Pakistan. Guyana has made it clear that it is against terror and that it stands on the side of peace. The Guyana government condemned the terror attack that killed 26. Guyanese were victims of terror in USA and condemned acts of terror against USA and India. Guyanese in Guyana were also victims of terror, and other countries condemned such terror.
Ray is right that Guyana is a non-permanent member of the UNSC till end of 2025. That doesn’t mean that Guyana has no role to play after that. Guyana has some standing with other countries in international affairs. Guyana has had a clear and consistent policy on terrorism, and it has condemned terrorism in all its form and manifestation against every country. President Ali must be saluted for Guyana’s position on violence and terror. Therefore, to construe Guyana support as something like a temporary support is gross simplification of facts and goes against Guyana’s consistent policy against terrorism.
Ray’s contention that India is interfering in Balochistan, Pakistan, and therefore it is someway related to the India-Pakistan conflict is just a wishful thinking and fertile imagination. There is no evidence to support such assertion. Anyone who studies South Asia history and politics, especially since the Soviet invasion and the Pakistan Army’s policy of Jehad and threats to India of ‘bleeding through thousand cuts’, knows who practices and preaches terrorism and intervenes in affairs of neighbors. Pakistan sheltered the notorious Osama Bin Laden in Abottabad in heart of Pakistan, in a heavily protected military zone; Osama planned and executed the 9/11 attack against USA. Pakistani continues to harbor, shelter, and support UN sanctioned terrorists like Hafiz Sayed and many more of his tribe. India does not arm groups against any government. And India is not the only sufferer of the terrorism inflicted by these UN sanctioned terrorists. Even Afghanistan and Pakistan itself (as claimed by it) is a target of these terrorists who perpetrate crime against humanity. It is sad that Pakistan, especially the army that is a state by itself, continues to use the trained terrorists to direct their state-sponsored terrorist policy against India. The international community knows this, and there are no takers for Pakistan’s lame excuses. No country supports Pakistan publicly although China and Turkey arm Pakistan.
Contrary to what Ray wrote, Kashmir is neither an issue nor it ever was an issue that justifies terror. Kashmir has been an integral and inalienable part of India as per the treaty of accession signed in 1947. It is Pakistan that has been an aggressor and continues to illegally occupy the part of the territory which it tried to capture by sending its troops disguised as mercenaries. The fact that the people of Kashmir came out openly in support of Government of India’s policy of growth and development in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist incident, is amble evidence that the issue is long settled. It is high-time that Pakistan accepted that indisputable reality and returns the territory that it has illegally occupied.
The fact that an All-Party Indian Parliamentary Delegation, led by a member of the opposition, visited Guyana and other countries in the region is enough evidence that there is across the board support to India’s position and there is absolutely no place for any doubt that it has anything to with any so called ‘ultranationalist movement’, as asserted by Ray Chickie. Every country has a right to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Even the Guyanese opposition understand that when it comes to the security and sovereignty of our country; people should rise about political differences.
Guyana has stood on the side of peace and dialogue and so has India when it comes to the Guyana-Venezuela border issue. There is no need to see terror or border controversy through any other lens. India has always stood for peace. But terror and talks cannot go together. One cannot expect a country to talk when there is a gun pointed at head and the other side continues to follow terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Stand with India against terror.
