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Converting LOC into LOPThe POST, Sun, Jul,22, 2007.Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
Talking about its impact on India-Pakistan relations the Indian Prime Minister said that ‘the natural resources of the State of Jammu and Kashmir could then be used for the benefit of its entire people. They need no longer be points of contention or a source of conflict. We could, for example use the land and water resources of the region jointly for the benefit of all the people living on both sides of the Line of Control’. He envisaged a situation where the two parts of the state can, with the active support of the governments of Pakistan and India, work out cooperative, consultative mechanisms in order to maximize the gains of cooperation in solving problems of social and economic development of the region. Undoubtedly these are noble sentiments which are periodically echoed by many peace lovers in India and Pakistan. However one should not ignore the fact that there exist many critics who see Indian Prime Minister’s recent assertions as no more than hollow promises. The Chairman of UJC (United Jihad Council) dismissed Prime Minister Singh’s address to the student of Jammu University as a ‘sugar coated poison’. His argument revolved that the Indian Prime Minister did not take into considerations the ground realities. He referred to the LOC as a Line of Conflict which has divided and separated thousands of families and estranged relations between the people. The Chairman of UJC stated that the peace could not be achieved by just making pledges of development or paying attention to economic, fiscal and social problems of the Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh regions. He stressed that Kashmir question is a six decade old reality and it is meaningless to talk about other rights while ignoring the fundamental right of the Kashmiris-the right to self determination. He even went to the extent of asserting that India has thrust slavery upon the Kashmiris by occupying their motherland and no amount of economic incentives or social reforms could prove to be beneficial unless the issue of slavery was addressed. Many observers might say that the Chairman of UJC has employed rather a strong word (Slavery) to express the plight of the Kashmiris, there is no doubt that the underneath idea reflect the incumbent ground realities. With the presence of more than 700,000 security forces along with the operative black laws which have given enormous powers to the security forces, most Kashmiris feel extremely hard pressed. Arbitrary arrests, burning of shops and property, according humiliating treatment to the Kashmiri people, enormously high frequency of rape of Kashmiri women are indeed very common in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK). Given the prevalent atmosphere in the IHK, one can easily comprehend the use of relatively stronger words by the Chairman of UJC. An objective analysis of Indian Prime Minister’s recent statement that borders cannot be redrawn and President Musharraf’s assertion that LOC cannot be converted into a permanent border between India and Pakistan clearly points towards the need for some form of a compromise solution like making the LOC irrelevant. Making the LOC irrelevant or promoting the concept of soft border implies greater interaction among the people of Kashmir. Admittedly the bus started plying between Muzafferabad to Srinagar and even some goods are being sent though recently initiated trucking service but in both cases the procedures are somewhat complex which needs to be simplified. Undoubtedly the ideas recently promoted by both the Indian and Pakistani leaders need to subjected to serious considerations. However an impartial assessment reveals that Pakistan has been far more forthcoming than India. So far India has not put forward even a single proposal that can be viewed as part of the ‘out of the box’ approach. In fact many observers feel that with so many Pakistani proposals the Indians are feeing somewhat embarrassed. But there is no doubt that Indian leaders like Prime Minister Singh continue churning statements loaded with noble sentiments. A general consensus seem to have emerged regarding President Musharraf’s four point formula that it can prove to be a panacea for Kashmir dispute if the Indians seriously consider it and positively respond to it. So far only evasive statements such as it has been subjected to various levels of incumbent Indian hierarchy have appeared in the media but no concrete proposal from the Indian side so far has been put forward. Not even steps that could facilitate and pave the way for a desired agreed formula have not been seriously considered. To begin with the Indian security forces should immediately stop human rights violations in IHK. Media reports are categorically indicating that not much progress in this regards has been witnessed. Even the ‘zero tolerance’ towards human rights violations that Prime Minister Singh promised is yet to be practiced in the real sense of the word. Cession of human rights violations along with the release of Kashmiri political prisoners could prove to be a good beginning. The next step could indeed be the reduction of security forces leading eventually to complete demilitarization. The Kashmiri leadership has been demanding both the reduction in forces and complete demilitarization of the IHK but not much success has, so far, been experienced by the Kashmiris. One practical way out is that both India and Pakistan could agree to begin simultaneous withdrawal of forces from the border districts? Alternatively both can agree to withdraw to an agreed distance from the LOC creating a corridor which should be manned by UN military observers. There is no doubt that many would like to see that LOC becomes a symbol of peace but this is unlikely to materialize unless and until the Indian side demonstrates not just its political will but also put forward some concrete proposals. So far Indians have been hiding behind an excuse of militancy inside IHK and consistently refuse to withdraw forces. Again even once announced by the Prime Minister Singh that 5000 troops would be withdrawn but not a single soldier was pulled out of Kashmir. The Indian authorities must realize that time has come to seriously stop using the excuse of militancy and begin to undertake some concrete measures that could inject confidence into the people of Kashmir. With mere statements, however they may contain noble sentiments, the conversion of LOC into LOP would continue to remain an illusive target. Worse still the notion that India is merely applying delaying tactics and is not at all serious to solve the Kashmir dispute except on its own tern would certainly be further strengthened.
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