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NEWS ANALYSIS
PM’s invitation stuns APHC, jehadi groups
N. K. Pant

The Vajpayee government’s invitation to Pakistan’s military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, for talks in New Delhi and the simultaneous decision to call off the unilateral ceasefire against the militants has taken the wind out of the sails of Pakistan-based jehadi groups. The PM’s deft move asking the belligerent western neighbour to “walk the high road of peace with us” also stunned Islamabad’s political front – the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) — in the Kashmir valley.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has expressed happiness over the Indian Prime Minister’s peace initiatives and accordingly the dates of General Musharraf’s visit are being worked out. He is likely to be an honoured official guest in July. India hopes Musharraf’s visit to in India will be used positively by Pakistan in defusing tensions between the two neighbours. The USA which all along wanted India and Pakistan to get engaged in a meaningful dialogue, has hailed the development as a positive step.

Surprisingly, negative statements have emanated from Islamabad’s official circles. Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar, a known hardliner, was quoted as saying: “We have invigorated the Kashmir issue, made India accept Pakistan’s stance for a dialogue on the vital issue. This is our success that India has accepted unconditionally Pakistan’s offer for talks.”

There is also considerable pressure on New Delhi to allow marginalised Hurriyat leaders to meet the military ruler during his official sojourn. The impression is being created that India was forced to come to the negotiating table despite its previous stand that negotiations could be held only after Pakistan created favourable conditions by reining in the jehadi groups operating from its soil with tacit official support. Moreover, the Islamabad’s High Commissioner in Delhi has categorically declared that the present Line of Control (LoC) will not be accepted as the international border between the two countries.

Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, in a press conference on May 28, clarified the Indian stand that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Pakistan-occupied portion, northern areas and the land ceded by Pakistan to China, belonged to India in accordance with a resolution unanimously passed by Parliament. He also ruled out holding of a plebiscite as often parroted by Pakistan and its motley group of Hurriyat supporters. He reiterated India’s desire to seek peace, friendship and cooperation with Pakistan. “It is a long road and will need hard work and perseverance,” he said.

Ever since Maharaja Hari Singh put his signatures on the Instrument of Accession in October,1947, after heavily-armed Pakistani army personnel masquerading as tribal hordes attacked the Muslim majority princely state, Jammu and Kashmir has been the principal driving force of Pakistan’s foreign policy and the accompanying hate India campaign.

It has built an unreasonably strong military machine to maintain parity with India which its economy can not obviously support, fought four wars to annex the territory it has a delusional obsession with. It has even gone to the extent of developing and testing nuclear weapons and missiles to militarily confront India.

For the past 11 years, the Islamic nation has been sponsoring proxy war and jehad in Kashmir for the purpose of bleeding the Indian security forces on their own soil. But such blatant support to terrorism seems to be backfiring. Pakistan is spreading gun culture and anarchy within its society resulting in economic stagnation. Islamabad’s international image has lately taken a nosedive as it is being regarded as a mentor of international terrorism. If it continues such perverse activities, Pakistan may find itself in the abyss of self-inflicted destruction in the decades to come. It is already being termed as a “failed” state.

In Kashmir, the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are being systematically annihilated by the Indian security forces, though sporadically they do spring surprises by their sneaking attacks on the Army or paramilitary posts or causing landmine blasts. Many times innocent civilians are also victims of such horrendous acts as the terrorists are getting alienated from the general public.

The mainstay of economic activity in the valley — tourism — has suffered a lot on account of militancy. There is a strong yearning on the people’s part for peace and normalcy to return in the state. But it all hinges on Pakistan’s political will to act against the terrorist groups being nurtured on its soil.

Islamabad has to realise the hard facts that there are mostly some misguided sections in the Kashmir valley who favour severing political ties with India. Moreover, Jammu and Ladakh regions of the state would like to further cement their political bonds with New Delhi. The only solution in sight is the status quo and conversion of the LoC into an international border. India too will have to walk an extra mile to win the hearts of the misguided elements bent on seceding and joining Pakistan.

In this context the Prime Minister’s special emissary Mr K.C. Pant, has been engaging various shades of public opinion in the trouble-torn state, though the conglomeration of Hurriyat leaders have refused to talk to him. Even Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah of the Democratic Freedom Party, one of the constituents of the Hurriyat Conference, who was initially willing to talk to Mr Pant, has subsequently backed out presumably on account of terrorists’ threats.

It is in fact Pakistan which has been compelled to seek talks with India. General Musharraf had several times expressed his readiness to meet the Indian Prime Minister anywhere and anytime. The pessimist in Mr Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Delhi, has already cautioned against expecting any quick break through in Indo-Pak relations when the summit meeting takes place.

Pakistan must agree to cooperate in stamping out terrorism not only from the state of Jammu and Kashmir but also elsewhere from the subcontinent. This should form the main agenda of the forthcoming summit between Mr Vajpayee and General Musharraf. Pakistan must realise the immense economic benefits it is going to reap if the tension in the subcontinent on account of its unwarranted obsession with Jammu and Kashmir is removed.

Hizb chief hails PM’s offer

New Delhi, June 4
Syed Salahuddin, supreme commander of Pakistan-based militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, has welcomed Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer of talks with Gen Pervez Musharraf, and insisted on a trilateral dialogue involving Kashmiris to resolve the Kashmir issue.

“This (Kashmir) is a trilateral matter which concerns the future of 12 million persons. If only two parties (India and Pakistan) talk, then the problem will remain unresolved,’’ Salahuddin told CNN in an interview from his base in PoK.

He said his men would not disengage from militancy in Kashmir in the build-up to the summit-level dialogue.

“There is no connection between our fighting and the diplomatic dialogue. Just like Afghanistan, Vietnam and Irish Republican Army in Britain, we can also continue fighting while a dialogue is on.’’

The Hizbul chief, however, expressed disappointment over the Vajpayee Government’s refusal to extend the ceasefire beyond May 31. “we are deeply shocked by that.’’ UNI

Include Kashmiris in talks: Qazi
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 4
Voicing support for trilateral talks on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi today said inclusion of representatives from Jammu and Kashmir in the dialogue process between New Delhi and Islamabad was a prerequisite to find a solution to the “core issue.”

“We believe that there are three parties to the Kashmir dispute and a modality has to be found out to include representatives from kashmir in the dialogue process,” Mr Qazi said in a ‘Meet the Press’ programme here.

Stressing that Kashmir was the most important issue that had affected relations between India and Pakistan and all other issues were “just derivatives,” the High Commissioner said, it needed to be resolved “in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state.”

“Kashmir is not like any other state in India or province in Pakistan ... It is recognised by the United Nations and the international community, with the exception of India, as a disputed territory,” he said while replying a question after a discussion on ‘Indo-Pak Relations: hope or hype.’