India’s non-serious attitude on Kashmir

Pakistan OBSERVER, Tue, Jan,29, 2008.

Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has come out quite openly and blamed the government of India for dilly dallying approach to address the ongoing Kashmir dispute. He has urged the government of India for not just earnest revival of the stalled peace process between India and Pakistan but also address the internal problems confronting the people of Kashmir.

While referring to unfortunate developments in Pakistan that have slowed down the peace process, he emphasized that the optimism generated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should not be allowed to perish and also stressed that it is necessary to have Pakistan on board for a lasting solution to tackle the external dimension of the ongoing Kashmir dispute. He forcefully stated that both processes, internal as well as external, should be vigorously pursued for resolving Kashmir’s problems.

There is no doubt that the peace process has been affected by the internal developments in Pakistan but this does not mean that the process should be allowed to drift into oblivion. As a matter fact the year 2007 hardly saw any substantive move undertaken by the Indians whereas the Pakistanis, despite its internal difficulties, have been enthusiastically pushing the process.

One need not to repeat many proposals regarding the possible solution of Kashmir that were advanced by the Pakistani officials but the response from the Indian side has not been forthcoming. All one knows is that the Indian officials have subjected Pakistani proposals to thorough analysis but the outcome in the form of government of India’s official response is still eagerly awaited.

The long delays in formulating the Indian response have already begun to take a heavy toll in some quarters of Pakistani thinking public. Some are now stressing that India is once again dwelling heavily upon delaying tactics and is not at keen to solve the dispute on any other lines than the status quo. On the other hand it has been repeatedly asserted by many responsible Pakistanis that the status quo is not all acceptable to the Pakistanis.

Some critics of the government are also repeating now their frequently asserted view in the past that India is not at all going to solve the Kashmir dispute, it is merely buying time to appease the foreign critics of its Kashmir policy. It is engaged in trying to influence the outsiders that the best solution of this dispute lies in the status quo.

Admittedly a debate is raging among the Indian decision makers how to make status quo attractive enough that the foreigners are satisfied. Such an eventuality would enable India to secure more and more support for its other objectives such as securing a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) or enlisting the support of all members of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Another group of the Pakistanis is now highlighting the mistake of believing the Indian intentions and promises that they are serious to resolve the dispute. They stress that India so far has neither demonstrated any inclination nor given any concession that can facilitate the desired solution of the ongoing dispute.

Yet another group is now airing voices stressing that Pakistan should demand the implementation of the UN resolution. It appears that many people in Pakistan are now reverting back to the original solution that was the product of the UN efforts. Many involved Kashmir people also support that the case should be once again taken up by the UNSC and attempt to implement its resolution that were accepted by both India and Pakistan.

Given the changed nature of international environment after the death of the Cold War and the tragic events of 9/11, many people in the region as well as from outside began to extend support to the peace process hoping that the negotiated settlement of this complex problem would be secured. Having experienced four years negotiations with no forward movement on the Kashmir dispute, it is somewhat natural that disappointment would step in the many would revert back to the UN resolution.

When the peace process started following the most successful 12th SAARC Summit and the consequent Joint Statement, it was, at the time; felt that the two countries would be able to find an acceptable solution through a process of bilateral negotiations. For sometimes almost everybody put the multilateral approach and the last agreed resolution on the back burner and hoped that some agreed formula would be worked out through the bilateral negotiations. But so far nothing tangible has come out-hence steps in the undesired disappointments.

It is absolutely imperative that the Indian leaders begin to realize that if the gradually creeping disappointments accumulate to an alarming size, then it may become extremely difficult for the Pakistanis to even consider ant more concession on this front. The undesired accumulated disappoint is likely to take a heavy toll of the goodwill on both sides of border and in turn may effectively tie the hands of negotiators.

One immediate move that can arrest the creeping disappointment is to agree to the participation of the Kashmiri representatives in the peace process especially the basket that deals with Kashmir dispute. The question of who should represent the Kashmiri people is not a difficult one to resolve. The leaders of the incumbent governments and opposition leaders in both Indian part of Kashmir and Azad Kashmir could be asked to join in the process.

The representative of the APHC(All Parties Hurriyat Conference) also needs to be represented on the negotiation table. The choice of APHC representative could pose a problem. Perhaps the best way out is to allow the APHC to meet in both Srinagar and Muzzaferabad to decide upon their representative.

It is not too difficult to assume that both India and Pakistan have not yet been able to devise a formula that would satisfy the people in both countries as well as the people of Kashmir. The presence of the Kashmiri representatives may be able to inject new ideas and facilitate the process of reaching an agreed solution. After all it is the Kashmir people who have suffered and it is only logical that they should heard and given a chance to help the process to move onward.

India needs to put its act together and do not allow the optimism generated by the incumbent leaders of both India and Pakistan to degenerate. At the moment the overall environment appears to be somewhat conducive to resolve the long standing dispute and every effort should be undertake to remove this major hurdle on way to desired normalization of India and Pakistan.

The writer works for Islamabad Policy research Institute.