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Kashmir panel for poll postponement
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 18
The Kashmir Committee led by former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani has favoured the postponement of the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate the participation of more Kashmiri groups in the democratic process.

Talking to reporters at the end of his three-day Kashmir visit, Mr Jethmalani said many Kashmiri groups, except the ruling National Conference, had “promised conditional participation in the elections”, provided these were postponed for some time.

He said the Election Commission, which started its visit to Jammu and Kashmir today, would consider this demand. The seven-member Kashmir Committee, which met a cross-section of the Kashmiri groups, both separatists and the mainstream political parties during the past three days, observed that there were other minor difficulties, such as protection to the aspiring participants in these elections.

“We do believe this demand (of postponing the elections) is not unreasonable,” Mr Jethmalani said, adding that the process of dialogue could not be dissociated from elections. He said many parties with whom the Kashmir Committee met since Friday promised “conditional participation”, and the major condition for participation was the creation of a conducive atmosphere which was possible only through postponing of the elections.

At the same time, Mr Jethmalani appealed the people to participate in the forthcoming elections for peace, progress and stability in the state. He said there was tremendous pressure on India and Pakistan for a dialogue, which was inevitable.

Elaborating on what he described as “limited success” of the Kashmir Committee during its Kashmir visit, Mr Jethmalani said it was agreed that terrorism, war and violence are now to be totally eliminated. He added that the committee was disappointed as it had not yet secured the participation of the Hurriyat Conference but, “it is again heartening to note that talks have been agreed to be continued”.

It was also disclosed that Shabir Ahmad Shah reiterated that he was not averse to taking part in the elections as a means to identify the genuine representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for a permanent solution to the problem through negotiations.

The statement read out by a committee member, Mr M.J. Akbar, said Mr Shah welcomed the commencement and progress of the dialogue to “seek a peaceful and permanent settlement of the Kashmir problem”.

The Kashmir committee chief said the meeting with Mr Shah had produced “a very constructive understanding”. Reiterating that many groups had agreed to participate in the elections, Mr Jethmalani said a new group of 13 parties under the name of Jammu and Kashmir Resolution Front was being constituted under the leadership of former Speaker Malik Mohluddin. Former militant leader Imran Rahi’s J&K Peoples Party has also agreed to participate in the elections.

Mr Jethmalani who claimed to have “understood Kashmir politics but not Kashmir roads” during their three-day visit, said all those having met committee appreciated the Prime Minister’s three-point pledge.

The pledge includes no repetition of past mistakes, completely free and fair elections with a call for maximum participation and dialogue with the emerging leadership about the future of the state and its inhabitants.

Mr Jethmalani appreciated the change in Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s approach to offer resignation if Hurriyat Conference agreed to participate in the elections and invited APHC for talks.

In reply to a question, Mr Jethmalani said that there was a vast difference from the scenario that prevailed in 1996 in Jammu and Kashmir, when some of the militant groups had joined the mainstream. He said that the entire sub-continent was not poised at a critical juncture in its political history.

Jethmalani sets talks ball rolling
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 18
Member of the Kashmir Committee, headed by Mr Ram Jethmalani, former Union Law Minister, came to Srinagar to conquer the separatists. But they failed to persuade the separatists, especially the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, to take part in he ensuing Assembly elections. They succeeded in keeping the ball of parleys rolling.

They had come to Kashmir on a two-day mission, with many ideas in their mind and returned to Delhi with their minds having been inundated with bigger ideas, some of them utopian.

If not anything else the Kashmir Committee’s visit to the valley added to the current fluid political situation forcing many to expect the next Assembly election to be held under Central rule or postponement of the poll schedule, for which the possibilities were not ruled out by Mr Ram Jethmalani.

The Chairman, APHC, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, has said that despite the fact that “no miracle could be expected in the first meeting, an impression has gone round that talks can produce results.”

“We have to pick up the thread left in Srinagar and we have decided to visit Delhi after having accepted the invitation from the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, sent through the Kashmir Committee,” said Prof Bhat.

The Democratic Freedom Party chief, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah, too has echoed the same feelings. He said: “I too plan to visit Delhi and meet Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr L.K. Advani.”

Though the Kashmir Committee members met the APHC and the DFP leaders separately the two organisations had no different perceptions as far as their participation in the Assembly poll was concerned.

Both Mr Shah and the Executive Committee members of the APHC conveyed to Mr Ram Jethmalani and his team that they could consider participation in the elections provided they were held under the supervision of the UN or international observers and for the basic purpose of determining the wishes of the people of the state and the representative character of the organisation.

According to Molvi Abbas Ansari, a senior APHC leader, “we explained to the Kashmir Committee members that for determining the representative character of the Hurriyat it was not necessary to hold elections. Yasser Arafat or Nelson Mandela did not have to contest the election for determining that they were the representatives of the people of their nations. Agreements were hammered out with them years before any poll was ordered.”

Prof Bhat said: “We could consider participation in the election if it is held under the supervision of an independent body. The way we were forced to wind up our election commission, which was headed by a known human rights activist, Mr Tapan Bose, indicated that the Government of India was not sincere.”

“We should have political, constitutional and international guarantees for a fair poll for the specific purpose of determining the future of Kashmiris before we can think of participating in the election, Prof Bhat told NTS.

He said: “We have submitted certain points, which include release of all political detenues, end to excesses and permission to the Hurriyat team to visit Pakistan and the team from across the border to visit Delhi, to the Kashmir Committee and it is for the Government of India to consider these genuine demands if it wants the talks to continue.”

Molvi Abbas Ansari said “already the Kashmir Committee, headed by Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan, has been set up in Pakistan and we have here a committee headed by Mr Jethmalani. The two committees should meet provided Kashmiri leaders too were included in these bodies.”

He said: “The Kashmiri Committee in Pakistan has no genuine Kashmiri as its member and the Jethmalani committee has only one Kashmiri Pandit, Mr Ashok Bhan, as its member,”

The APHC leadership has conveyed to the Kashmir Committee the desirability of first settling the Kashmir issue then holding the poll as had been done while resolving the Ireland crisis.

A senior state government official while commenting on the vision of the Kashmir Committee in the past four decades and the Jethmalani team is another experiment.”

The Jammu Mukti Morcha is peeved over the way Delhi has been keen to hammer out accords, sign agreements only with Kashmiri leaders. The morcha chief, Prof Virender Gupta, said: “The 1975 accord, 1972 Delhi Agreement, 1986 Accord and others were reached only with Kashmiri leaders and those in Jammu and Ladakh were ignored when these two regions are part of the state.”

As compared to Dulat exercise and K.C.Pant’s programme the Jethmalani committee has evoked response from the separatists which may result in a prolonged negotiations between the two sides provided the ensuing Assembly poll, even without the participation of the APHC, remained an exercise free of rigging and other malpractices.