Pak's UN envoy leads band of self-goal scorers

She meant to say Nawaz Sharif 's `address' before the UN General Assembly, but given all the tawdry drama surrounding it, “actress“ was indeed more appropriate.

An embarrassing flub on social media by Pakistan's UN envoy Maleeha Lodhi, after she tweeted “Entering the UN for the PM's Actress to the GA“ set the tone for a disastrous day for Pakistan in New York after it tried to up the stakes against India over the “Kashmir issue“.

It wasn't the only boo-boo.Pakistani officials were publicly called out for bluffing about talks by the UN, US, and its own -and only -ally China, as it tried to construct a phony narrative on the Kashmir issue.

It ended with a brutal take down by New Delhi, which sent a junior diplomat to call Pakistan a “terrorist state“ and other sulfurous insults seldom heard in the UN general assembly .

Pakistan's own media called out the country's bluff by reporting that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif 's media team “concealed some important matters deliberately by issuing fragmentary handout about the meeting“ with secretary of state John Kerry.

While a press release issued by the Prime Minister's media team “tried to give an impression that only the Kashmir issue was discussed in the meeting“, it turned out that Sharif was given an earful by Kerry , including ask ing Pakistan to stop giving safe havens to terrorists and to cap its nuclear arsenal.

These remarks were censored by the largely plaint Pakistani press, which is often controlled by the ISI media cell. More snubs followed after China distanced itself from self-serving Pakistani claims about its support on the Kashmir issue.

“The issue of Kashmir is an issue leftover from history. Our stance on that is con sistent. We hope that parties concerned will pursue a peaceful settlement through dialogue,“ a Chinese spokesman said when asked about Pakistani claims, reported with overheated language about “iron brother“ forever, to go with other popular formulations about ties being “sweeter than honey , higher than mountains, deeper than oceans“ etc.

There were similar brush offs from the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who simply tweeted about “Meeting PM H.E. Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan“, without confirming claims from the Pakistani side that he had expressed shock at situation in Kashmir etc., -claims meant ostensibly for domestic consumption in Pakistan.

Sharif has brought along a huge media contingent from Pakistan which is briefed twice a day with fictional accounts of Pakistan's grand success in UN, even as some independent (and rebellious) sections of the media are calling out the serial disappointments. Both Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama did not make any reference to the so-called “Kashmir issue“ in their remarks, and instead, obliquely urged Islamabad to end its proxy wars and engage with India without resort to violence.

Sharif may in fact have to return to Islamabad without meeting Obama (none was scheduled till the time of writing), and inasmuch as Pakistan thinks he is a lame duck president, its prospects don't look particularly attractive under a Hillary Clinton administration or a Trump White House.

Back home in Pakistan, the country's defence minister Khawaja Asif, who has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons on Pakistan's own soil if India captures Pakistani territory , continued to make a fool of himself.

“The defenders of our skies, in a state of constant readiness, Alhamdolillah.Our motorways are our runways. #PAF“ he tweeted with colourful pictures of jet fighters on impressive highways.

They turned out to be pictures of US and South Korean jets in training.

(TOI)