Aligning to NAM

"Promotion and Consolidation of peace through respect for international law" was the theme for the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) ministerial meeting held from 18th to 21st July 2019 at Caracas, Venezuela. In a world that is becoming more and more polarized remaining non-aligned seems almost impossible. Polarization itself pushes people to move towards more aligned domains. The quest for power and especially the quest for superpower has been a historic aim of countries who pursue expansion at all costs. The NAM is one of the most important forums in the world being second in size and membership to the United Nations, but in the recent conference more important was its location and its timing.
The NAM was held in Caracas, Venezuela. This itself was a statement about the movement. Venezuela has been undergoing a severe turmoil. A political crisis began in Venezuela during the presidency of Hugo Chávez, and continues during the term of President Nicolás Maduro as well. The economy is characterised by hyperinflation, starvation, disease, crime and mortality rates, resulting in a massive migration from the country. This situation is the worst economic crisis in Venezuela's history and perhaps the worst facing a country that is not experiencing war since the mid-twentieth century.
The country that has one of the highest oil reserves in the world is facing a crippling shortage of food of almost all essentials. By 2017, seventy-five percent of the population had lost an average of over 8 kg (over 19 lbs) in weight. A UN report estimated in March 2019 that 94% of Venezuelans live in poverty, and more than ten percent of Venezuelans (3.4 million) have left their country. Crime is rampant. Venezuela led the world in murder rates, with 81.4 per 100,000 people killed in 2018, making it the third most violent country in the world.
The present government of course blames economic sanctions of America and political interference as well, but the internal corruption and lack of rule of law were also instigators of social and political vulnerabilities. Thus, for them, the holding of the latest round of NAM was a necessary call for establishing the government's legitimacy in the eyes of the world. The NAM has long been a voice of the countries suffering from foreign occupation. The NAM was created and founded during the collapse of the colonial system and the independence struggles of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world and at the height of the Cold War the First Summit Conference of Belgrade was held on September 1-6, 1961. The Conference was attended by 25 countries. The major principles of NAM are respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and international law, respect for sovereignty, sovereign equality and territorial integrity of all States, Recognition of the equality of all races, religions, cultures and all nations, both big and small.
The NAM over a period of time has found it difficult to keep its upward momentum going. Firstly, it was formed during the Cold War when two big rivals were trying to expand their influence by force in many regions. Since the NAM is a platform that aggressively promotes self-determination and condemns forced occupation in foreign countries the disintegration of the USSR took away the major impetus of the movement. However, due to the emergence of new powers like China and India the movement has resonated more widely with its 120-member forum.
In the last few years it has faced problems from some key members especially its founding member India. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's prime minister at the time of forming NAM, was a co-founder of the movement, and non-alignment was an integral part of the nation's foreign policy as India was fighting its legacy off from colonialism. However, the last summit of NAM held at Margarita Island in 2016 was a lacklustre affair as many heads of state and government, including Narendar Modi, did not participate. Modi's a totally different philosophy than Nehru's. The incumbent Indian prime minister has made several alliances with countries that oppose this movement. Modi is also busy pursuing strong partnerships with the US allies in the region including Japan, Australia and Vietnam. He has taken a strong position on the South China Sea dispute in favor of states such as Vietnam and the Philippines as well as expanded the US-India bilateral naval exercises to include Japan. Another problem is that one of the main principles of NAM is Right of Self Determination and since Kashmir is an example of the violation of this principle, especially under Prime Minister Narendar Modi's government, consequently the reluctance to give it the highest official importance.
The NAM needs a non-alignment to lobbies of vested interest and alignment to its principles. Pakistan made a very strong statement in the recent meeting held in Venezuela on the 20th and 21st of July 2019. The statement contained the major challenges facing the world today. The main ones were big power rivalry, conflict and wars, regional instabilities, growing poverty, inequality and marginalization, foreign intervention, protectionism and climate change.
Pakistan's stance was clear that the reason why there was so much unrest was that the principles and international laws that were made by the United Nations especially by its Security Council were being violated. Pakistan took a very clear line on the violations in Kashmir that were now being repeatedly reported in UN HR Office reports. An article "India's Crackdown on Kashmir" written in Guardian on November 8th 2016 talks about the pellets being used by Indian army on Kashmiris as a weapon of mass blinding. It says "Children as young as four and five now have multiple pellets in their retinas, blinding them partially, or fully, for life. At the start of September, doctors at Kashmir's main hospital reported that on average, one person had their eyes ruptured by pellets every other hour since 9th July. "It means 12 eye surgeries per day," one doctor told a local newspaper."
The NAM is having its Summit in October 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan Narendar Modi missed out on the last summit. Pakistan must not miss out on this opportunity to put pressure on India to resolve the Kashmir issue. Fortunately, the debate has already started as Trump offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir issue. The spotlight is on India. Pakistan needs to use this moment of exposure, attention and admission to align more and more stakeholders to the cause of the rights of people of Kashmir.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])