The Kashmir imbroglio

The POST, Sun, April,29, 2007.

Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema

Scanning though various statements of both President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh one is bound to be overwhelmed by the strong determination periodically expressed by both leaders to resolve the ongoing Kashmir dispute yet the ground realities do not seem to be in congruity with leaders expressed intentions. A simple question is frequently asked that if an easily resolvable dispute like Siachin defies resolution, how one can think of attaining a settlement over the Kashmir dispute. 

Even since the peace process started following the successful 12^th SAARC Summit in Jan 2004, The Kashmir dispute has been in the forefront and regularly subjected to intense discussions by both the foreign secretaries. Apart from Kashmir related confidence building measures (CBMs) which indeed have certainly contributed enormously towards the overall improvisation of the atmosphere, progress in the area of conflict resolution still continues to be an illusive commodity. 

In a recent roundtable conference with some of the Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi, the Indian Prime Minister said that a harmonious neighborhood and reconciliation with Pakistan are important to realize the vision of an India and South Asia free from fear of war, want and exploitation. In this connection he indicated that President Musharraf’s proposals to resolve the Kashmir dispute were being discussed at several official levels. He also mentioned that several ideas having bearing on improving relations between India and Pakistan are also being discussed. 

This is indeed a good development that serious efforts are now being undertaken by the Indian officials to seek out feasible solutions to festering problems impeding the desired improvement in Indo-Pak relationships. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assertion that his government is working sincerely towards the resolution of all the pending issue with Pakistan certainly raises the level of optimism. However it is not too far fetched to assume that the incumbent skepticism will continue to persist until a tangible agreement surfaces. 

Like the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Musharraf’ has also recently expressed an optimistic note in his recent trip to Spain. Addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Congress he stated that a reasonable progress has already been achieved and the world may see soon the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in near future. He referred to the Indian Prime Minister as a credible leaders and a man of peace who supports an early resolution of the ongoing Kashmir dispute. 

There is no doubt in my mind that both leaders are keen to see early resolutions of all the issues that are arresting progress in India-Pakistan relations. Fully cognizant of the aspirations and desires of the people of both countries who want to see an early advent of peace and harmony, the efforts of the two leaders not only need to be appreciated but also facilitated particularly the opinion makers. 

Despite the sincere intentions and efforts of both leaders, the progress does not seem to match the optimism generated by the expressed determination of the leaders. Thus the question that irks every one is why no tangible development is visible. The obvious answer revolves around the forces that are operating within the two countries to prevent the desired movement towards normalization.

Among these forces that are most influential and significant include bureaucracy especially the foreign offices. Compare to the influence enjoyed by the Indian ministry of external affairs in preventing the desired level of drift towards normalcy of relationships, Pakistan’s foreign office appears to be less interfering and less obstructionist. On the contrary once it is decided to embark upon a certain course of action, it tries to facilitate the process whereas in India if the decision appears to be contrary to the thinking of ministry, it manages to delay the process though direct and indirect means. 

Another force that has been effectively influencing the progress is the media. A general perception about Indian media is that it is a free media but if viewed from Pakistani lenses it does not appear as free as it is credited. In order to do justice to India media, one has to make three categories of targets; domestic, external excluding Pakistan and finally the third category that deals with Pakistan. In terms of issues relating to domestic dynamics and development, the Indian media appears fairly balanced and in some ways constructive. Dealing with external issue the underneath trend reflects relatively balanced approach though meticulous efforts are made to over project Indian innovative streaks. 

As far as the issues relating to Pakistan is concerned, Indian media certainly appears to be lot less fair and somewhat biased. A vast majority of articles relating to Pakistan may even contain similar words, phrases and paragraphs.  Criticism in some articles reflects careful grooming and the guidance of the unknown. Even acknowledged writers also periodically reflect approaches that are out of line of their generally known attitudes. 

Another force that is often quoted with regard to slowing down the Indo-Pak normalization process is the attitude of some of the opposition political forces. While it is a well known fact that none of the politicians oppose the normalization process in principle but they often object to the approach adopted by the incumbent government. A lurking desire that agreement should be signed by their government often surfaces in one form or the other. 

Both the main leaders have repeatedly acknowledged that military option was not the answer to the problems confronting both nations and have embarked upon the path of negotiations. The people on both sides are favorably inclined towards early resolution of disputes and issues in order to have accelerated economic growth which in turn could improve the quality of their life. 

To accelerate the process and to overcome bottlenecks quickly it would be appropriate to review every meeting that has not produced the desired results by the higher leaderships. Admittedly the negotiation process should be continued but if the results are not produced, many people are enthusiastic supporters of the peace process would begin to entertain other ideas. Already many in Pakistan began to think that no Indo-Pak dispute is likely to be resolved in near future after a complete failure of talks in its 12^th round over Siachin dispute. Many consider that Siachin is a dispute that can be easily resolved yet the 12^th round ended without any agreement.  Therefore it is imperative that the leadership should take cognizance of every failure and try to provide a quick remedy. 

Not only lack of agreement on Siachin or Sir Creek is delaying the expected Indian Prime Minister’s Pakistan visit but it is also taking a very heavy toll of existing support for Indo-Pak normalization. If the adverse trend is allowed to continue, the advent peace and harmony in the region would be further delayed.

The writer works for Islamabad Policy research Institute.