KASHMIR: TIME TO MOVE FORWARD

By Air Commodore (R) Khalid Iqbal
Spearhead Research

Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid’s recent wish that: ‘it is high time India and Pakistan move forward together hand-in-hand’, is rather captivating. Recent overtures from both sides clearly indicate that two neighbouring countries want prosperity in the region and for that they agree that resolution of all disputes, including Kashmir, is a priority.

Pakistan has all along been pursuing this objective. It is unfortunate that some of very meaningful peace processes between the two countries went astray on one reason or the other. As Pakistan is likely to be a beneficiary in case of equitable resolution of most of territory related disputes, Pakistan is always keen to see the conclusive phase of the efforts aimed at resolving these issues. Unfortunately, the two countries have not been able to achieve anything worthwhile in territory related disputes.

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has recently said that India wants to resolve all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan through dialogue. Indian Independence Act had laid down clear terms of reference for the rulers of princely states. They were given the choice to freely accede to either India or Pakistan, or to remain independent, while doing so they were to take into account the aspirations of their people. Ruler of Kashmir failed to do so, and while under duress, he invited the Indian armed forces to invade his own state.

Kashmir is certainly at the pinnacle of India-Pakistan disputes – an issue recognized by the UN, and on which settlement framework has also been specified in the relevant UN resolutions. To remind the world about the continuation of the conflict, UN Observers mission continues to be stationed in the region. The first group of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on 24 January of 1949 to supervise the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The UNSC resolutions remain arguably the best and judicious way out for settling this dispute. While addressing the 67 ^thsession of the General Assembly, President Zardari had rightly attributed the non-resolution of Kashmir dispute to the failure of the UN system.

Therefore, to succeed, any durable peace initiative between Pakistan and India must cater to break the stalemate on this important issue. It would have been in the fitness of thing had the Indian foreign minister put forward any fresh proposals on the Kashmir issue as well. Without demonstration of political will to tackle the Kashmir depute, even fairy tale wishes remain, at best, just noble desires; devoid of implementation tools.

Spells of Kashmir intifada, in their scope and scale, visibly get out of India’s control despite Indian army’s heavy presence. There is now considerable resistance from the Indian mainland as well, where conscientious members of the civil society have started to censure the central government for continued occupation of Kashmir. World watches with dismay that even by stationing of around 600,000 combatants for over a decade, India has not been able to subdue the spirit of Kashmir’s of the IHK.

IHK has the unenviable distinction of being the most militarised zone in the world. The hardest hit victim of the conflict has been the socio-economic fabric of the Kashmir. Agriculture which forms about 48 percent of the state domestic product is witnessing a negative growth. Tourism involving the livelihood of thousands of people has also been badly hit by the conflict. During October 2012, two reports were released pertaining human rights situation in the IHK. Reports by Amnesty International (AI) and Citizen’s Council for Justice (CCJ) were released in a quick succession. Both dossiers have adequately exposed the deplorable Human Rights (HR) conditions in IHK.

To make the people of Kashmir feel secure, it is necessary to scrap all the draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act, Disturbed Areas Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act etc. Moreover, as confidence building measure, it is essential to retrieve the armed forces to their barracks and let the police take care of the law and order. IHK government should also release all prisoners of conscience.

Pakistan has consistently maintained its stance on Kashmir. It wants the resolution of Kashmir issue in line with the wishes of Kashmiri people, as ordained by a number of UN resolutions and as envisaged by universally accepted democratic principles of the right of self determination. Pakistan will continue diplomatic and political support of Kashmiri people in their struggle to achieve their right to decide their future.

In this backdrop, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister has extended an invitation to 8 members of the executive council of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), to visit Pakistan from 15 to 22 December 2012. The initiative has been taken to begin a consultative process between the political leadership of Pakistan, AJK and pro-movement leaders of IHK. This initiative is expected to jump-start the process for peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue. Kashmir experts believe that such visits by the Hurriyat leadership suit both sides. Pakistan envisages that APHC could act as a catalyst in bridging the gap between the respective government’s standpoint and public aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

From Kashmiri perspective, leaders of both side of Kashmir should be facilitated to meet each other frequently to narrow down their perceptional gaps. And at the same time, India and Pakistan should continue with their good-will initiatives kick-started during President of Pakistan’s non-state visit to India, because this could enable both the countries to discover common grounds for conflict resolution. Pakistan feels that the Kashmiris of both sides should take advantage of the current improvement of relations between India and Pakistan, and it is in this context that APHC leadership has been invited.

Rumours have it that under pressure from India’s hawkish politicians and media elements, hurdles could be created to disrupt the process. Some elements of Indian media have started a negative campaign against the visit of APHC leaders branding them as ‘Separatists’. Understandably, some elements from India are not sincere towards resolution of Kashmir issue through consultative process. They do not want Kashmiri leadership to visit Pakistan and interact with Pakistani and Kashmiri political leadership. Their motive is to jeopardize the consultative process initiated by Pakistan. These disruptive elements are focusing at creating divide within the pro-movement camp by allowing only a few leaders to visit Pakistan. It would be unfortunate if India lets this opportunity slip by through administrative manipulation to deny right of travel to all the invitees. This will indeed be the first test of the new foreign minister of India.

Kashmir: A dangerous nuclear flashpoint

By Brig Asif Haroon Raja

Sixty three years have lapsed but Kashmir dispute remains unresolved. During this period, besides several military standoffs, two full fledged Indo-Pak wars and two localised conflictsin April 1965 and in summer of 1999 took place on account of Kashmir issue. India has been defying UN Resolutions on Kashmir and playing monkey tricks all these years to avoid resolving the dispute. Indian security forces have kept the people of Kashmir suppressed through use of brute force and has hid its gross human rights abuses under the cover of blatant lies and deceit. Today Kashmir has turned into a dangerous nuclear flashpoint.

The peace loving and docile Kashmiris patiently waited for 43 long years in the hope that India would fulfil its solemn commitment and hold a fair plebiscite but when they found that India will never give them their just right, they ultimately decided to pick up arms and push out Indian Security Forces (ISF) illegally occupying their land since 1947. Armed uprising in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) in end 1988 added fuel to fire to militancy in Pakistan, which had intensified during the eight-year Afghan Jihad.

Tens of die-hard Jihadi groups cropped up to assist the Kashmiri struggle. Large amount of funds were collected for the cause of Kashmir. The people of Pakistan who have always regarded IOK as part of Pakistan and an unfinished agenda of partition left behind by scheming British were deeply pained over the atrocities committed by ISF upon hapless Kashmiris. The ISF had been given a licence to kill and to use rape as a weapon to break the will of freedom fighters. The world took no notice of worst human rights abuses by ISF nor made any effort to find a political solution on the basis of UN Resolutions.

The US which had drawn closer to India after 1990 started changing its stance by undervaluing UN Resolutions and terming them as outdated. Israel which had also forged special ties with India imparted training to Black Cats Commandoes of India in specialised counter insurgency operations and taught them new methods of torturing detainees so as to break the back of movement. Indo-Israel propaganda machinery supplemented by western media started projecting Kashmiri freedom fighters as terrorists and Pakistan as an abettor of terrorism. Full throttle was given to the theme of cross border terrorism. Efforts were geared to get Pakistan branded as a terrorist state.

The religious right in Pakistan sympathised with Kashmir cause and took out rallies in their support and also took practical steps to alleviate their sufferings by providing financial and material assistance. The general public filled up money boxes placed in front of each mosque wholeheartedly. The seculars particularly the liberal elite by and large took least interest in the plight of Kashmiris. Rather, they subscribed to Indo-western propaganda and pressed the government to rein in Jihadists to appease India.

Reign of terror unleashed in IOK by over 700,000 ISF, Indian intelligence agencies and Hindu extremist groups have turned the vale of Kashmir into hell. The whole valley is drenched in human blood but the conscience of the international comity is dead. Shrieks and cries of ill-fated Kashmiri men, women and children get drowned under the din of gunfire, one-sided propaganda and patronage of USA and civilised west. Instead of cautioning India to restrain from human rights abuses, the entire pressure was exerted on Pakistan and held solely responsible for worsening security situation in IOK. Despite use of excessive force and worst form of torture, the flame of liberty lit by handful of Kashmiri fighters kept burning vigorously. No amount of brutality could weaken their resolve to keep fighting till the accomplishment of their due right of self determination as provided for in UN Resolutions.

Indian inhuman cruelty alienated the Kashmiris and their hatred for India touched new heights. Except for insignificant number of Indian toadies enjoying fruits of power at the cost of enslavement of five million Kashmiris, each and every Kashmiri yearns to get rid of India. Having seen the ugly face of India and miserable plight of Indian Muslims, they have lost all trust in duplicitous Indian leaders. Conversely, their love for Pakistan is growing by leaps and bounds. They want to be part of Muslim Pakistan and not of Hindu India where Muslims are treated as second rated citizens. They know that secularism in India is a big farce since Hindu extremist forces are far more powerful than Hindu secularists who are too weak to question them.

Takeover of power by Gen Musharraf in October 1999 brought smiles on the faces of depressed seculars particularly when he came out with his concept of enlightened moderation. The fortunes of Kashmiri resistance forces that were giving a real tough time to 700,000 ISF as well as Jihadi forces in Pakistan plummeted in the aftermath of 9/11. New laws framed by USA on terrorism changed the complexion of freedom movements within Muslim world overnight and freedom fighters were branded as terrorists. This rule was applied in IOK as well which impelled India to apply full pressure on Musharraf to change its policy on Kashmir.

Ten month military standoff in 2002 followed by the US pressure forced him to ban six Kashmir oriented Jihadi groups and to freeze their accounts. Besides allowing India to fence the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, he took stringent measures to control cross LoC movement and also started hounding extremists. He also took on board moderate leaders of All Parties Hurriat Conference promising them an out of box solution to the dispute falling outside the ambit of UN Resolutions. These measures favoured India but went against the interest of Pakistan and resultantly rolled back the momentum of liberation movement. Indian military hastened to claim that it had succeeded in crushing insurgency in Kashmir. Pakistan thus lost the lone card of Kashmir which it could play against India which held several cards.

As a consequent to blocking Jihadi groups from assisting Kashmiris, these groups in revenge joined hands with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and TNSM and started fighting Pak security forces, thus compounding Pakistan’s security problems. These groups facilitated TTP in launching suicide and group attacks within cities. Kashmiris saved the day for Pakistan when they bounced back in the valley in 2008 in the form of violent strikes and protest marches which flabbergasted India. Mumbai attacks were hastily engineered in November 2008 to distract the attention of the world from Kashmir, to put off Indo-Pak composite dialogue which was in advanced stages and to exert pressure on Pakistan to stay away from Kashmir.

Kashmiri movement took a new turn in 2010 when the teenagers with stones in their fists came in the forefront and kept raising anti-India and ‘freedom from India’ slogans despite being ruthlessly killed and tortured by ISF. Unarmed movement of tender age boys captured the attention of the world and for the fist time India found itself short of lame excuses. It could not possibly dub unarmed small boys as young as 8-15 years as terrorists. Nor could it justify its brutal actions against them. Apart from many in western countries, several intellectuals and human rights activists within India have started to sympathize with Kashmiris and are condemning ISF brutalities. Arundhati Roy has taken the lead and has not minced her words in saying that Kashmir is not part of India as claimed by Brahman Indian leaders and that justice should be meted to the people of Kashmir.

In a seminar recently organized in British Parliament, the parliamentarians lent unflinching support to the right of self determination of Kashmiris and have stressed upon their government to use its good offices to solve this chronic dispute. They also called upon India to withdraw its forces from IOK and to facilitate granting right of self determination to Kashmiris. Black day was organized by Kashmiris on both sides of the divide on 27 January and also in Pakistan and other parts of the world reminding India to prevent its forces from massacring innocent Kashmiris and to grant right of self determination to Kashmiris. Rumbling within India for a solution is getting louder.

Indian leadership will never risk holding a plebiscite since it knows that the result would be to its disfavor. It will keep dragging its feet until it is forced to give up its obduracy. The US must play its role to solve this dispute to avoid a nuclear holocaust in the future.

India not yet fully eligible to enter UNSC club: Qureshi

By Baqir Sajjad Syed

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday that despite the US support India needed to cover a lot of ground before realising its ambition of becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Foreign Minister of Italy, H.E. Frasco Frattini holding a joint press conference on Thursday. – Photo by APP

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini, Mr Qureshi used Persian phrase ‘Hanuz Dilli Door Ast’ (Delhi is still far away) in response to a question about the expansion of Security Council and the American support for the Indian bid.

The phrase attributed to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was about Ghiasuddin Tughlak’s arrogance who was trying to conquer Delhi, but died before fulfilling his ambition.

Mr Qureshi used the phrase to say that Islamabad was not really concerned about Delhi strengthening its credentials for permanent UNSC seat, even though past few days have seen strongly worded statements from the Foreign Office and federal cabinet denouncing the American statement of support.

Pakistan’s confidence about India’s membership not becoming a reality in immediate future is based on the fact that Security Council expansion is a long and complicated process.

The first step is to get a framework resolution through the General Assembly by a two-thirds vote, without specifying candidates. The second would be to name candidates for permanent seats. Finally, a ratification by national legislatures of member states will be needed to amend the UN Charter.

The foreign minister said Pakistan desired a “comprehensive, democratic and representative” expansion of the Security Council. He hinted that President Asif Ali Zardari, who left for China on Thursday to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Asian Games, would also discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership.

Pakistan has been opposing the Indian bid on the grounds that India’s elevation to the UNSC will affect regional peace and stability because Delhi is yet to address some of the disputes, central among which is the Kashmir issue.

Italian Foreign Minister Frattini said his country believed that reform of the Security Council could not be achieved by having more permanent members.

Mr Frattini urged India to hold dialogue with Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute.
He said he had during his stay in Pakistan raised the issue of alleged abuse of blasphemy law against religious minorities.

He said Italy was offering 81 million euros in aid, but for that Pakistan needed to identify priorities for utilisation.

Norwegian parliament to start debate on Kashmir from Nov 15

KMS

The Norwegian Parliament, while taking notice of human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, has issued schedule to debate the Kashmir dispute from November 15.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister after replying the points to be raised by members of the Parliament would release policy statement on Kashmir.

The Chairman of Parliamentary Kashmir Committee of Norway had submitted a motion in the Parliament about the massive violations of human rights in the occupied territory by Indian troops. He demanded of the Foreign Minister to issue a policy statement on the dispute after thorough debate on the Indian state terrorism in the territory.

The Kashmir Committee Chief mentioned in his motion that Kashmir solution was necessary for bringing peace in Afghanistan.

The speaker of the Norwegian Parliament while accepting the motion for debate in the parliament, released the schedule from November 15.

Full text of the joint memorandum submitted by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik

“Let me say clearly that we accept the basic proposition that the future of Kashmir is going to be decided finally by the goodwill and pleasure of her people. The goodwill and pleasure of this Parliament is of no importance in this matter, not because this Parliament does not have the strength to decide the question of Kashmir but because any kind of imposition would be against the principles that this Parliament holds.

“Kashmir is very close to our minds and hearts and if by some decree or adverse fortune, ceases to be a part of India, it will be a wrench and a pain and torment for us. If, however, the people of Kashmir do not wish to remain with us, let them go by all means. We will not keep them against their will, however painful it may be to us… However sad we may feel about leaving we are not going to stay against the wishes of the people. We are not going to impose ourselves on them on the point of the bayonet.” – Jawaharlal Nehru, Speech to the Indian Parliament, August 7, 1952

“When a question becomes an international question like the Kashmir question, this Parliament can take many steps, of course, but it cannot solve the international part of it… the accession of Kashmir to India… was in that sense complete, not subject to anything except subject to the goodwill of the people of Kashmir… It is a very important thing and by that declaration we are going to stand. It is left to their decision… Now it is before an international forum and how can I or this Parliament take it away?” – Jawaharlal Nehru, Speech to the Indian Parliament, March 25, 1952

The All-Party Delegation from Delhi comes to Srinagar on the heels of some of the most vexed circumstances that Jammu & Kashmir has faced. The assault on the life and dignity of the average Kashmiri has been relentless. Daily life in our homes and streets has been turned into a nightmare as an entire population is treated as hostages on their own soil.

Just a simple act of stepping out of our own houses has been turned into an act fraught with danger, threat and menace with unprecedented prolongation of the brutal curfew, ruthless persecution, topped up by some of the most uncivilized acts by a nation that claims to abide by democratic practice and the rule of law.

The blockading of food, fuel and medical supplies with even life-saving drugs and ambulances being prevented from reaching their destinations, nocturnal raids and illegal detention of children and teenagers, clampdown on the local media and thrashing of media persons in recent days, is clearly an attempt at bullying and humiliating the Kashmiri population with base and inhuman tactics employed earlier only by rogue regimes in some notorious instances of international shame like in Kampuchea, Bosnia Palestine and Sri Lanka.

We cannot help but feel that we Kashmiris have been corralled into a concentration camp of concertina wires, jack-booted surveillance and vengeful assault by the Indian State, which deliberately chooses to deny this part of its ‘claimed’ nation the constitutional guarantee of ‘the Right to Life’.

And we have not even begun talking yet about the more than 100 Kashmiri youngsters senselessly but brutally killed by the Indian security forces in just over 100 days. It follows the thousands of lives already lost over the past decades due to the unresolved Kashmir Dispute.

All this precipitates your visit today.

We had hoped the 21st Century would offer our children a new world of opportunities. Indeed, both Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh gave us reason to hope for an honourable and lasting solution to the Kashmir Dispute through their multiple public declarations on Kashmir. We believe these statements represented not only their personal or partisan views but a commitment on behalf of the Indian people which your delegation today now represents.

We started this decade with the intention of engaging in a meaningful process to resolve the Kashmir Issue and we continue to be committed to that objective. However, for the people of Jammu & Kashmir, this first decade of the century has only been one of continued human misery, unfulfilled promises, false hopes and failed efforts to resolve the issue.

Failure has bred cynicism and destroyed hope.

In recent times, the struggle in Kashmir has transformed from a violent to a non-violent movement and the new generation has adopted the mode of democratic protest rather than the gun to voice its aspiration. It leaves us shocked and resentful that rather than listening to and engaging with this call from the streets of Kashmir, India is responding to it with bullets and violence.

We are at a threshold and it is vital that a new generation of Kashmiris should not be pushed to the wall. Dialogue and negotiation must come to the front, not a new chapter of violence and instability. Nobody will gain and we will all lose, if such a situation develops.

The passage of time over the past 63 years has, in fact, made the Kashmir Problem more, rather than less, intractable. Allowing this dispute to fester will only extract increasing human costs from the people of Jammu & Kashmir and, for that matter, the people of India and Pakistan.

Frankly, today we hope to make a break from the past.

What we have seen for the last 63 years and what we are seeing in the current bloodshed is an aggregation of failed approaches. Above all we are seeing a failure to develop and evolve a sustainable, purposeful, results-oriented process of dialogue and negotiation aimed at tangibly resolving core issues rather than dealing with the crisis of the day.

We are concerned that domestic politicking in India has again started to create hurdles on the way to developing a meaningful process of negotiation. This has been a phenomenon right from the inception of the Kashmir Conflict. Due to domestic politics in both India and Pakistan, the windows for working towards a solution to Kashmir have been narrowed or interrupted and, as a result, the people of Jammu & Kashmir have had to suffer dearly.

It is disconcerting that today the BJP has taken a hard line on Kashmir. This is the same party whose veteran leader Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee went to Lahore and declared from the base of Minar-e-Pakistan: “It is my dream and wish to resolve the Kashmir Issue.” This is the same BJP who initiated peace talks with the then united APHC under the chairmanship of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. This is the same party that engaged Hizbul Mujahideen in a cease-fire and talks process in the Summer of 2000. This is the same BJP that declared a unilateral cease-fire in the Month of Ramadhan and then offered talks “under the constitution of Insaniyat”. This is the same BJP whose Prime Minister Vajpayee laid out an inspiring agenda on Kashmir from Kumarakom on January 2, 2001: “We shall not traverse solely on the beaten track of the past. Rather, we shall be bold and innovative designers of a future architecture of peace and prosperity for the entire South Asian region”.

We are now disheartened to see the same party advocating a contrary view as the principal Opposition in the Indian Parliament. It is time to develop a peace process on Kashmir that is immune to domestic politics and power tussles, both in India and Pakistan.

On many occasions, in 2004 and again in 2006 from Amritsar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked boldly about engaging in an irreversible process of dialogue to reach a political solution on Kashmir. We are concerned that the recent statements of the Prime Minister suggest that the Kashmir Problem is being seen as a matter of unemployment and that conditions are being imposed on the dialogue process.

For an entire generation, more than 20 years, we have engaged in multiple exercises of dialogue and talks with the Government of India. We took risks to do so and some amongst us sacrificed their lives to tread the path of peacemaking, while others amongst us paid with our credibility. we give some suggestions with a view to generating a favourable political climate for a purposeful dialogue like (a) revocation of draconian laws, (b) release of political prisoners (c) withdrawal of troops and (d) zero tolerance for human rights etc but these suggestions were not taken seriously.

We are now wary that your visit today, however well-intentioned, represents only an effort at short-term crisis management and that there is no clear commitment nor path towards effective resolution of the Kashmir Issue and addressing the aspirations and interests of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

We have seen in the past that it is only when a major crisis erupts that visible efforts are made to engage and understand our aspirations. And as soon as the immediate crisis subsides, the demonstrated and inherent political complacency and negligence is restored.

Today in light of the concerns expressed above and to voice our unequivocal condemnation of the killings of our children and youth, we choose not to meet with your delegation

Today, we ask not for unilateral political concessions but rather a joint commitment to a meaningful process that guarantees results. We believe this is possible only if serious efforts are made to create a conducive environment for dialogue by removal of the harsh and repressive measures that are in force here, to suppress our aspirations and our fundamental democratic rights.

We look forward to entering into a dialogue based on the following shared commitments:

To create a beginning and to sustain the process of dialogue we need to create a process in which all views and options – most of all Kashmiri aspirations will be considered and explored before arriving at an acceptable solution.

Let resolving the Kashmir Dispute in accordance with aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir become a Common Minimum Programme shared by all political parties in India and in Pakistan. Achieving a solution to the Kashmir Issue should now rise above vote bank politics and be taken up as a national agenda shared by all, worked for by all, and risked for by all major political parties of India.

Let the Government of India act on the suggestions given by the Kashmiris and facilitate to establish and empower an official body, a Kashmir Committee, consisting of senior representatives of all major Indian political parties to develop and enter into a process of engagement with the representatives of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Let this process be transparent designed to deliver a negotiated solution to the Kashmir Issue that is mutually worked towards by and acceptable to all parties concerned.

We believe that a similar Kashmir Committee, bringing together all political forces, should also be established in Pakistan. We will advocate to the political parties in Pakistan that this be done. This will ensure that all major political forces in India and Pakistan are on board with the peace process and it will help institutionalize and sustain the process to resolve the Kashmir Problem. We must render the process immune from domestic politics and tendencies to act as spoilers

On our part we are ready and willing to engage and sustain a meaningful and irreversible process of dialogue designed to avoid the failures of the past and to jointly develop and implement a solution to the Kashmir Dispute that is acceptable to all sides – India,Pakistan and above all the people of J&K

Sincerely,

SD/
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
All Parties Hurriyat Conference

SD/

Muhammad Yasin Malik
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front

Mirwaiz slams inconclusive Kashmir APC

AFP / Express

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, has slammed the All Parties Conference (APC) on Kashmir and said that Kashmiris will not accept any solution but independence.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that there could be no dialogue until a draw down of Indian troops and a release of prisoners. PHOTO: AFP

He said he would have supported the conference if it had focused on the Kashmir resolution, but that the meeting had a limited agenda. He said India should first put an end to human rights violations in Kashmir.

“Kashmiris are fighting for freedom, not just protesting,” said Mirwaiz. He added that there could be no dialogue until a draw down of Indian troops in the region and the release of prisoners.

“The meeting is a cosmetic and half-hearted measure,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. “Our focus continues to be on the bigger issue of resolving the Kashmir dispute.” Another senior leader, Javed Mir, scorned the idea of a fact-finding mission and contrasted the response to the Kashmir violence with the reaction to recent floods in the nearby region of Leh.

“When the natural tragedy struck Leh recently, every Indian who matters, be it the prime minister, the president, Sonia Gandhi and Raul Gandhi visited the grief-struck people. But no one bothers to visit Kashmir,” he said.

‘Dialogue is the only way to peace in Kashmir’

Earlier, speaking at the all parties conference that was held in India to try to forge a consensus on how to defuse escalating tension in Kashmir after the worst violence in three months of protests, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he is ready to speak to anyone who shuns violence and that dialogue is the only way to peace in the Kashmir crisis.

“The only path for lasting peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir is that of dialogue and discussion,” Singh added. “Those who have grievances against the government have to talk to the administration,” he said. “But it is also true that meaningful dialogue can happen only in an atmosphere free from violence and confrontation.”

Singh said he was “shocked and distressed” by deadly protests in Kashmir and called for calm to enable talks on the crisis to take place. He said some of the escalating demonstrations, which began in June, “may have been impulsive or spontaneous” but he also pointed the finger at “certain groups” for orchestrating them.

India’s government said that it would send a cross-party delegation to Kashmir to gather information about the unrest that has left 93 people dead in the last three months.

The decision was the main outcome of the crisis meeting, with no consensus reached on withdrawing a tough military law in the region.

The Armed Forces Special Power Act enables the army and paramilitary forces to detain suspected militants indefinitely and is seen as fuelling a sense of injustice and military occupation for Kashmiris.

The fact-finding mission will help inform policy making, the government said.

However, a date for the mission’s visit was not given and there were few details as to its remit, other than an order to meet different sections of the population and gather opinions.

No senior ministers or mainstream national political figures have visited the Kashmir Valley since the unrest began three months ago. Kashmiri leaders dismissed the meeting as a public relations ploy.

New Delhi has in the past blamed Pakistani groups and hardline separatists for stirring up trouble in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan.

“I was shocked and distressed to see young men and women – even children – joining the protests on the streets,” Singh said at the opening of a meeting of political parties called to debate ways of easing tensions in Kashmir.

His comments came as police opened fire on another demonstration in the disputed Himalayan region on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring at least 11 others.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who admitted last week that he was “groping” for a response, is chairing the all-party meeting at his residence, with the government under pressure to show leadership in the worsening crisis.

One measure under consideration is the partial withdrawal of a tough military law in the region, which grants the armed forces immunity and is seen as fuelling a sense of injustice for Kashmiris.

The cabinet discussed this at a meeting on Monday, but decided against taking a decision on a day that saw the worst violence since mass street protests began in June. Seventeen protestors were killed in police shootings and one police officer died in the mob violence.

“Ultimately we thought that before we take a final decision, we should take into confidence all major political parties,” Defence Minister AK Antony told reporters on Tuesday. “It is better to involve everybody.”

A strict curfew imposed in all major towns and troublespots in Kashmir since Sunday remained in place. There were no reports of clashes overnight or early Wednesday.

Politically, the ruling Congress party is hemmed in by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) main opposition group, which sees any concession on autonomy or security as a betrayal of the nation. “Kashmir is in turmoil due to wrong policies of the state and the centre and the need is to have more forces, but the Congress is looking to reduce the number of security personnel” in Kashmir, BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said. “The BJP wants total peace in Kashmir prior to any talks and it is of the opinion that unless this happens any form of talks is useless.”

The prime minister warned last week that there “is no royal road to success” and that he “can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat” in Kashmir, which is part of the northwestern state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

Many before him have tried and failed, producing a deadlock that dates back to the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, when the Muslim-majority region was split between India and Pakistan. It has triggered two of the three wars between the nuclear-armed nations and remains an enduring source of tension in South Asia.

The Hindu newspaper criticised 77-year-old Singh in an editorial on Wednesday, saying the protests had made a “bonfire” of his “vanity project” of finding a solution to the 60-year problem. Singh has doggedly pursued peace talks with Pakistan, argued in favour of reducing the military presence in Kashmir and repeatedly offers talks to all parties in Kashmir that reject violence.

“Each of these enterprises ended in impasse,” said The Hindu. “By talking big while having little to offer, New Delhi has unwittingly fanned the flames in J&K,” it said. “Firm, generous-spirited action to win over the people is needed.”

For three months, young Kashmiris have thrown stones at security forces, defied strict curfews and held anti-India rallies, resulting in clashes that have left 88 people dead. The frustrated new generation has become the focus of resistance to Indian rule, superseding the militants who made the region one of the most dangerous places on Earth in the 1990s.

Since 1989, an anti-India insurgency has plagued the part of Kashmir ruled by New Delhi, claiming an estimated 47,000 lives.

But militancy has fallen to its lowest level for two decades and New Delhi estimates there are now just 500 militants active in the region, a fraction of the thousands previously.

More people have died at the hands of the security forces this year than in militant attacks. A majority in Indian Kashmir, where New Delhi has an estimated 500,000 troops, favour independence for their region, according to a recent poll.

Krishna should visit Srinagar instead

By Jawed Naqvi

In our world of mealy-mouthed morality, diplomatic subterfuge and spurious ideological grandstanding go together. A Sinhalese minister is applauded for going on a Gandhi-like fast to stop a UN team from probing the alleged massacre of Tamil civilians by Sri Lankan troops.

If Mr Krishna doesn’t trust the angry petitions filed by fellow Indians to his government, then he might consider visiting Srinagar on a fact-finding tour before embarking on a globally watched trip to Islamabad. – Photo by AP.

A peace flotilla is attacked by Israeli commandos and the blame is put on its unarmed occupants who are not only killed but are painted by the global media as agent provocateurs. A gaggle of schoolchildren are slaughtered in Kashmir by paramilitary forces roaming their homeland and get described as cohorts of Pakistani terrorists. Champions of peaceful struggles please note.

Closer to our purposes, a front-page blurb about this week’s visit to Islamabad by Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna requires urgent attention. After declaring that India and Pakistan were set to resume their “dialogue process” on Thursday, The Sunday Express clarified that Mr Krishna’s talks with Pakistan’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi would “start on a bunch of issues barring Kashmir (and) Siachen”. It said the Indian government had briefed its parliament panel on the matter.

With the Kashmir Valley in turmoil as seldom seen before, could there be anything more ostrich-like than to hold any talks that, as implied by the Express report, would at best describe the water when people are drowning in it? Citing the foreign secretary’s briefing to the parliament panel (headed incidentally by a BJP hawk) the Express listed proposals ranging from a commerce secretary-level meeting to cross-LOC trade with issues such as Sir Creek, culture and water resources thrown in for good effect. Mercifully the two guilty parties would also cover (and hopefully resolve) the nasty matter of innocent visa transgressors and fishermen who so often rot in their jails.

The good news is that India has not blamed Pakistan for the mess in the Valley although it has accused groups like Jamaatud Dawa for fomenting violence. On the other hand private opinion-makers have claimed that Islamabad was generating the unrest so as to mount pressure on New Delhi to come prepared to Islamabad to discuss the Kashmir dispute. Nothing is more nauseating and cynical than states and governments, be it India or Pakistan, inciting violence to get even with their rivals, all the more so if it leads to the unconscionable death of schoolgoing children.

There is of course the hope that given their strategic nature the issues of Kashmir and Siachen are taken up at a higher level, possibly in the so-called shepherding the interlocutors along. If this is to be the case the fact that the talks are or will be under way needs to be shared with the people on both sides, not the least with the Kashmiris so that they are sanguine that a serious initiative is on to address the cause of their suffering.

While India and Pakistan engage in diplomatic jostling to appear better than they are to the rest of the worried world, they go on tormenting Kashmir to score points in what can be described as their domestic league matches. The young chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir is quite possibly the most articulate politician of his generation albeit on the wrong side of the ideological fence. He has been made to eat crow by his rivals in the valley and worse by his allies in Delhi.

Omar Abdullah first helplessly watched the Central Reserve Police Force (whose training unlike the Border Security Force is not to shoot to kill) firing recklessly at crowds and then he called in the army whose job is to use maximum force with no hesitation whatsoever to kill. That the army has succeeded in curbing the angry crowds without further bloodletting so far is a tribute to the state terror reigning in its most naked form in Kashmir. Sweeping press censorship is one of its conduits.

And yet in an essential way India has an indomitably humane spirit which soars far above than the shenanigans of the small-hearted men and women who rule it. In a spontaneous burgeoning that engaged ideologues from virtually every political and intellectual corner there have come up a spate of strongly worded missives to the government, to relevant UN rapporteurs and human rights bodies asking them to stop the blood-letting in Kashmir forthwith and to resolve the issues that have alienated its people beyond the ken of easy remedies.

One of the petitions involving Indian signatories and others called upon the UN, “which has a long association with the Kashmir issue”, to press the Indian government to:”End its militarised governance of Kashmir, and withdraw army from populated areas; Revoke the draconian Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), which gives Indian troops immunity from civil legal action and promotes HR violations; End oppression of Kashmiri people, release political prisoners and young boys from jails, and lift the overwhelming security apparatus from Kashmir; Initiate meaningful plans to democratically resolve the issue, and include Kashmiris as the primary party to such a process.”

A separate petition to the Indian government, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, the National Human Rights Commission and others pressed them to: “Take steps to put an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the security forces during the last three weeks; Refrain from attacking civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and ambulances; Ensure that the security forces respect the principle of proportionality in framing and executing their objectives while responding to the civilian protests; Initiate independent and impartial investigations into the killings of peaceful protesters, several of whom were children; Initiate inquiry into instances of attacks on ambulance services; Ensure that the inquiry is conducted in a time-bound manner and the report of the inquiry is made public; Initiate legal and punitive action against persons who are found responsible for the killings of civilians; Establish an independent inquiry commission to investigate the allegations of serious human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, killings, torture, rape and sexual violence since 1989; Invite and permit the relevant UN Rapporteurs, UN Special Representatives and members of the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearance to investigate the allegations of human rights abuses in the region; Initiate a general debate involving members of the Kashmiri civil society and others on impunity and AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), and possible mechanisms to respond to the prevailing impunity.”A third petition in which I was heartened to see at least one name of a BJP officer bearer and some associated with Jamaat I Islami and other Muslim outfits, had this to say:

“The Prime Minister’s recent visit to the Valley only underlined the visionless policy of protecting the status quo at any cost. With all emphasis at our command, we urge the central government to at once send the army back to the barracks and out of all inhabited areas in the Valley, release all arrested political leaders, activists and protesters, repeal the black AFPSA which has allowed the army to kill with impunity, and urgently start a real dialogue with both the stakeholders in the Valley as well as with Pakistan to solve this vexed issue once and for all. We believe the situation in Kashmir demands a political, not a military, solution. We hope the (current government) will not leave this issue burning for another generation to solve it.”

It makes little sense under the circumstances for Mr Krishna to not discuss the raging problem in Kashmir with Pakistan. If he doesn’t trust the angry petitions filed by fellow Indians to his government, then he might consider visiting Srinagar on a fact-finding tour before embarking on a globally watched trip to Islamabad.

jawednaqvi@gmail.com

Pakistan calls for talks with India to build trust

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called on Monday for “sustained and meaningful” dialogue with India after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said a trust deficit was the main obstacle in ties between the two countries.

Talking to leaders of Pakistan-ruled Kashmir, Gilani said his government remained committed to a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Kashmir dispute. – AP (File Photo)

Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, Singh said India was willing to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan but “the trust gap is (the) biggest problem”.

This Is How US Agents Sneak Into Pakistan

For a few hundred dollars, low-paid border guards are allowing entry into Pakistan to spies and agents of multiple foreign intelligence agencies operating in Afghanistan. In this story and video, see how a US lady entered Pakistan through Torkham on Saturday, Mar. 13, 2010, without visa and without the knowledge of Pakistani intelligence officers posted there. This happens in a country that faces terrorism exported by both US-controlled Afghanistan and its Indian ally.

BY SYED FAWAD ALI SHAH:

TORKHAM, Pakistan-Rampant corruption and a weak Pakistani state are helping the entry into Pakistan of spies and terrorists from multiple foreign intelligence agencies operating in Afghanistan. Almost all terror in Pakistan is coming from Afghanistan.

This American woman tried to sneak into Pakistan through Torkham on Afghan border today, Saturday, Mar. 13, 2010, around early afternoon. She was wearing an Afghan woman’s burqa and apparently spoke local dialects. She would have successfully crossed into Pakistan safely hidden among a group of Afghan women but something about her demeanor raised the suspicion of a Pakistani border guard.

However, the border guards, known as Khasadars, made sure that Pakistani intelligence officers posted in the area are not told about this arrest. Torkham is considered a hot station within Kasadar tribal force circles. With salaries that go less than PKR 10,000 per month [less than US$ 130], major checkpoints such as Torkham provide an extra source of income for the Khasadars through bribes from travelers.

The guards kept the woman in a room for about thirty minutes and then let her enter Pakistan in her burqa. She paid the Khasadar guards a handsome amount of money as bribe. According a source in the Khasadar Force who witnessed the whole thing, the woman didn’t panic. She appeared composed and familiar with the ways of the border guards. She knew what to do in such a situation.

Thanks to my contacts in the border force, I was able to make a cell phone video of her passport while the Khasadar chief at the checkpoint talked to her.

Her name on the passport was Zohra Rehmati, which makes her an American from either Iranian or Tajik-Afghan extract.

Over the past four years, a large number of US agents have entered Pakistan through Afghanistan. Several have been arrested in different parts of the country disguised as Afghan men, complete with beards and Turbans and fluent in Pashto, Dari and Urdu. Unfortunately, much of this covert American activity was sanctioned first by the Musharraf government and now by the pro-US Zardari-Haqqani combine in the incumbent government.

Ms. Rehmati, if that is her real name, may or may not be a CIA operative, or one of its private contractors associated with either DynCorp or Xe International. But such lax security in a country that is a target of terrorism, DynCorp managed to create quite a covert network in Pakistan before being busted by Pakistani security last year. DynCorp remains in Pakistan, thanks to backing from both the US Embassy in Islamabad and the pro-US government, despite repeated attempts by the country’s security officials to force the US defense contractor to wrap up its operations here. Xe International, formerly known as Blackwater, also operated in Pakistan until 2005 before being moved to Afghanistan, according to an earlier report in the New York Times. But going by the number of incidents in Pakistan over the past couple of years where US private agents were seen operating in major Pakistani cities, it is safe to say that both contractors continue to quietly operate in Pakistan in one

Private contractors help give CIA the benefit of deniability if an agent is arrested on foreign territory.

CIA has been known to send US citizens of foreign descent to their home countries for espionage.

The most recent example is Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American who was busted in Tehran carrying sensitive documents handed to her by an informant. Ms. Saberi was sent to Iran posing as a journalist. CIA even managed to get her newspaper accreditation from a major American newspaper. The US government was embarrassed at the arrest because Ms. Saberi was arrested red handed receiving official documents from a contact.

In Pakistan, a State that is falling apart at the seams, with no central figure or department to control the rot, is providing the perfect environment for meddling in the country not only by the United States, UK, India and other established powers based in Afghanistan, but also by a puppet regime like that of Mr. Hamid Karzai and his spymasters, who in eight years are in a good position today to wreak mayhem inside Pakistan while the politicians in Islamabad and the military in Rawaplpindi have little recourse beyond words of appeasement or caution during closed-door meetings with foreign powers in Afghanistan that are never translated into action to reestablish Pakistan’s writ domestically and in the region.

Mr. Shah is an independent journalist based in Peshawar.

Chinese assurance

CHINESE Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s remark, during a press conference at Beijing the other day, that his country has neither changed its policy on the Kashmir dispute nor would it abandon Pakistan in difficult times, is only an expression of the reality on the ground. The Chinese have gone out of their way to help Pakistan, even losing the lives of their citizens in the process. The construction of several crucial infrastructural projects, in economic as well as defence fields, gave a wholesome push to our industrial and commercial activity and lent muscle to our military machine. And Mr Yang’s reference to the possibility of making additional sale of arms and aircraft to Pakistan in the context of continuing to “expand practical means of cooperation” is the latest manifestation of the deep understanding existing between the two countries.

The Chinese support to Pakistan through thick and thin has never been in doubt, for one thing because the causes that the two countries pursue are of unquestionable legal and ethical validity. Islamabad benefited a great deal from the help it received from Beijing, which, unlike the rest of the aid-giving world, has invariably been without any strings. However, there has always been a strong feeling in patriotic political circles that Pakistan has, most unwisely, missed or at least balked at making full use of the opportunities that came its way to further cement the bilateral relations. Its successive ruling classes have invariably had, it is a great pity, misplaced fascination for the so-called friendly Western nations, which refused to give their help to Pakistan when it was most needed. Nevertheless, close bonds between Beijing and Islamabad have continued to exist, thanks more to the former than anything else because it looks at our failings with an understanding eye. Another reason for their close bonds is pure pragmatic considerations, which oblige neighbouring countries to have a harmonious and helpful existence.

It is in pursuit of the Chinese vision of a peaceful region, concern for “all-weather” friend Pakistan and regard for justice that Mr Yang stressed the need for an early solution of the Kashmir issue. He expressed Beijing’s readiness to assist in tackling it. T o set at rest any doubt about the existence of a strong relationship with Islamabad, Mr Yang counselled that no one should believe that the Pak-China friendship was in search for any material advantage. One would like to imagine that this reaffirmation would jolt our leadership out of their sweet dreams of gainful association with the US and other Western nations, and make them realise that, with hostile forces ganging up on us, further strengthening our relations with China was also the strategic need of the time.

India’s Irresponsible Approach

By Sajjad Shaukat

After learning positive lessons from the past conflicts, especially World War-I and World War-II, in the modern era of new trends like renunciation of war as a state policy, peaceful settlement of disputes and economic development through cooperation, it is expected that unlike the non-state actors, state actors will behave with responsibility when controversy arises between them over any issue. Quite contrarily, India leaders are still displaying irresponsible approach towards Pakistan.

In this regard, after the lapse of more than one year in the aftermath of Mumbai- terror attacks, India is still intransigent on its illogical stand in connection with composite dialogue. Hopes for early normalisation of bilateral ties between Pakistan and India were dashed on February 25 as the countries’ foreign secretaries failed to agree on a timetable to revive the stalled peace process. The meeting between Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart, Nirupma Rao concluded with differences over all key issues, including the Kashmir dispute and terrorism. The two sides did not issue a joint statement at the end of talks, nor held a joint press conference.

The secretary-level talks have given weight to the notion that the meeting was managed by India to highlight its concerns over “cross-border terrorism” by sidelining the Kashmir dispute.

Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission after a five-hour meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Rao said that the time is “not right” yet to resume the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan. Rao further pointed out that terrorism was discussed for most of the time.

A day after foreign secretary-level talks, rejecting the Indian opposition’s claim that New Delhi has softened its stance on terrorism, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna remarked that it was conveyed to Pakistan that the steps taken to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks “in an expeditious and transparent manner” to justice had not gone far enough…”nor are these steps enough to unveil the full conspiracy behind the attack”.

On the other side, on February 25, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir expressed disappointment at India’s narrow focus to combat insurgents in Pakistan. Bashir complained that India’s focus on the Mumbai attacks was ‘unfair’ and ‘unrealistic’ given Pakistan’s efforts to fight militancy and its own struggle against the Taliban and militants. Bashir explained, “We have suffered many, many hundreds of Mumbai’s…have lost a great number of civilians,” adding: “Pakistan does not believe that India should lecture us and demand to do this or that. He further indicated, “That is not how inter-state relations are conducted.” Answering a question about India’s reported involvement in fomenting trouble in Balochistan, Bashir said Pakistan had documentary proofs, including photographs, to this effect.

In reply to a question about the water issue, he revealed that Pakistan had handed some documents to the Indian side and expressed the hope that India would consider them to resolve this issue under the Indus Basin Water Treaty.

Salman Bashir indicated that Pakistan had taken up steps against suspects of Mumbai attacks and it would also look into three dossiers handed over by India containing names of some wanted persons.

The fact of the matter is that Islamabad wants result-oriented and meaningful dialogue, discussing all out standing issues including terrorism, while New Delhi wants to use Mumbai-related terrorism as a pretext to hold talk hostage.

However, India conducted the ongoing dialogue in order to fulfill the formality as New Delhi bowed before the US pressure�the fact which was also endorsed by the BJP leadership. Despite it, Indian obduracy regarding terrorism as the single agenda of dialogue shows New Delhi’s irresponsible approach which needs analysis.

In wake of rising tension between the two South Asian nuclear states in connection with the culprits of Mumbai tragedy, Pakistan has proved itself as a responsible state actor. On February 12, 2009, Islamabad had not only submitted its report to India after lodging FIR against the nine suspects and taking six accused persons into custody, but also admitted that Mumbai attacks were “partially planned in Pakistan” by the non-state actors.

Pakistan’s positive behaviour was greatly appreciated by the foreign officials and media, while on the other side, New Delhi alongwith its media anchors took it as a surprise because India has, itself, been acting upon a reckless policy regarding Pakistan which is still being pursued under the cover of self-fabricated evidence with a view to showing official backing of our country in the Mumbai carnage.

Since November 26, 2008 when the Mumbai mayhem occurred, setting aside our ruler’s views that non-state actors are linked to the mishappening, India’s blind rejection of Islamabad’s offer of joint investigation, various contradictory statements of Indian military and civilian leadership such as calling Pakistan the epicenter of terrorism, emphasizing to hand over the fugitives to New Delhi, taking action against them inside Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of sponsoring terrorism�and all options are open for India including surgical strikes�deployment of Indian military troops across the international border have shown that India is an irresponsible state actor.

The fact of the matter is that now Islamabad’s realistic reply has proved, without any doubt, that some non-sovereign entities in Pakistan, India and even in some western countries had planed Mumbai catastrophe, but New Delhi wants to unilaterally blame our country in this respect in order to conceal Indian home-grown culprits because its real anti-Pakistan designs will be exposed through a genuine probe. In this regard, Islamabad also raised 30 questions in the report, reciprocally seeking information about Indian officials involved in Malay villages and Samjotha Express blasts in which Indian mastermind Lt. Col Srikant Purohit was found guilty in targeting Muslims, and details on the death of Indian Anti-terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare during Mumbai tragedy.

It is of particular attention that on February 8 last year, Indian Gujrat Chief Minister Narendra Singh Modi disclosed that the Mumbai terror attacks could not have been carried out without internal help. On February 12, 2009, the Mumbai police chief Hassan Ghafoor also admitted that two Indians who were arrested by the Indian police had been involved in the Mumbai terror attacks. Their comments were in sharp contrast with claims of other Indian high officials who hold Pakistan solely responsible for the carnage.

And why India avoids joint probe in this serious matter. In fact, India has only been exploiting the Mumbai events to fulfill some covert aims against our country. In this context, First, New Delhi wants to divert the attention of the US and other western countries from the thorny issue of Kashmir. Second, India wants to keep the composite dialogue in abeyance as part of its delaying tactics in resolving any issue with Pakistan, especially dispute of Kashmir. Third, even if talks started on other issues, New Delhi intends to get leverage over Pakistan on key disputes such as Kashmir and water. Fourth, India wants to continue creating unrest in Pakistan by supporting insurgency in Balochistan and FATA regions from Afghanistan where it has established a terror-structure with the help of Indian army and intelligence agency, RAW. Fifth, India, with the backing of America, wants to contain a peace-loving China with a view to thwarting Sino-Pak cooperation, especially in relation to Gwadar seaport. Sixth, Indian ruling party, Congress and fundamentalist parties such as BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena etc., entailing other Hindu non-state actors want to use the Mumbai card for increasing anti-Pakistan jubilation among its general masses.

Besides, in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai tragedy, India had sent delegations to the western countries in distorting the image of Pakistan, and isolating the latter diplomatically. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s successful Swat-Malakand and Wazirsitan military operations have surprised the US-led developed countries which highly appreciated Pakistan’s security forces.

Nevertheless, it seems surprising that Indian rulers have still been acting upon irresponsible approach by displaying a continued obstinacy by accusing Islamabad to do something regarding the issue of Mumabai-related terrorism by neglecting the fact that Pakistan itself has been facing a perennial wave of terrorism.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations. Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Indian dams building crushing blow to Pak

Pakistan Daily

India by building dams on rives Chanab and Jhelum wants to destabilize Pakistan’s economy, said Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Point of Order in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

He said Pakistan’s economy primarily depends on agriculture and urged the government to take up the water issue with India vigorously. The PPP-S leader said the Kashmir dispute had assumed more importance in the wake of Indian move to build dams on rivers originating from the disputed land. “We’ve to set our course of action, which we’ve not done so far.”

Quoting a World Bank report, he said: “If this situation persists then in the next 10-15 years Pakistan would be turned water-stressed country. Sherpao said India was out to inflict damage on Pakistan through waters, which it couldn’t do through arms.

Aftab Sherpao said India was building dams under a well-planned strategy to deal a crushing blow to Pakistan, though slowly but surely and gradually.

He called for passing a resolution in the National Assembly to let the rest of world know how water was crucial to Pakistan, and how India was using it illegally in a sheer violation of all accords as well as international laws.

Aftab Sherpao said not only on Pakistan’s rivers, but India was assisting Afghanistan to build dams on rivers Kabul and Kunar that fed water to the northern side. He suggested that Pakistan should sign accord with Afghanistan on water.

About 1991 water accord between the provinces, Aftab Sherpao complained NWFP was not being able to use its own share of water owing to unavailability of proper infrastructure. He said fertile districts of Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki, Bannu and Karak had the potential to produce surplus wheat and other crops, but were rendered barren because of water scarcity.

Aftab Sherpao demanded that Chashma Lift Canal be made op.

Indian involvement in Balochistan to figure in talks

Pakistan Daily

Though no conditions have been set for the dialogue with India , a number of issues including Kashmir dispute, water, terrorism and bilateral trade would come under discussion during the upcoming meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries.

Talking to media on Monday, the FO spokesman Abdul Basit said Indian involvement in FATA and Balochistan would also be discussed.

He said it was still not clear what India wanted. He said India has wasted one year by discontinuing talks with Pakistan.

There were no chances of a meeting between Pakistani and Indian Prime Ministers in near future, he added.Foreign Office spokesman said the Indian proposal for resuming secretary-level talks was appreciable in the current situation. He said Pakistan was not hesitant in discussing terror related issues as proposed by India. However, Kashmir dispute would have to be resolved for absolute peace in the region. To another question he termed the statement of Indian Minister Krishna a positive step for composite dialogue and said terrorism was a global and regional phenomena and also a big challenge for world. For resolution of this issue we needed cooperation of all regional countries.To a question, he said a major change had been observed in the US policy for Pakistan . The American people also wanted an end to drone strikes.

India’s Vision 2020 and the reality

by Sultan Ahmed

The government of India has come up with a Vision of what India is likely to look like or confront by the year 2020, particularly in its relations with major neighbors, its military prowess and relative economic strength.

The India Vision: 2020, officially released recently, says the economic and military strength of China may in 17 years from now pose a serious challenge to India’s security unless measures are taken to fortify India’s strength in these areas. The paper also says the Kashmir dispute may still remain unsettled.

The Vision prepared by the Chief of the Indian Planning Commission K.C. Pant, who is close to the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says not only the Kashmir disputes is likely to remain unsettled but also “the territorial disputes with neighbors that have defied solution for 50 years may not lend themselves to easy solutions.” And that clearly includes India’s territorial dispute with China which covers 40,000 square kilometers.

While the paper expects the Kashmir dispute to remain unsettled by 2020 it does not indicate any new line of action for a way out. Instead it says the conflict between India and Pakistan is unlikely to be resolved “without a major social-political change in Pakistan.” To that extent the paper reflects the closed mindset of India which dismisses the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir or their right of self-determination.

What the paper, in effect, means is India’s tense or strained relations with its neighbors, big and small, would continue and India will have to learn to live with them. Which can be pretty costly and too distracting for the Indian leaders. At the same time the paper warned “religious extremism and radical politics” may continue to adversely impact on our core values. A reflection of that was visible in the state of Gujarat where about 2,000 Muslims were killed last year, and after that the ruling BJP had an overwhelming electoral victory in the state elections with the rampaging chief minister Patel ruling the roost ecstatically.

The dichotomy in the Indian approach to its neighbors is obvious, and it is a part of its game of strident power politics. Normally if India has fear of China’s expanding strength all round it should come closer to Pakistan. It does not want to do that as it is in occupation of the valley of Kashmir and Jammu, and it does not want to surrender those territories to the people of Kashmir. But in the case of China, Beijing is charged by India with being in occupation of 40,000 square km of its territory, and that cannot be liberated militarily, as its failure in 1962 demonstrated. So it wants to be pragmatic in its approach to China and develop economic and cultural relations with it while seeking a settlement of the territorial dispute discreetly or patiently.

And India has also joined hands with the US which fears of the future role of China as its economy becomes the second largest in the world – with the US economy remaining the largest. India is also increasing its military cooperation with the US in addition to expanding its economic collaboration.

By increasing its cooperation with the US in various spheres it also hopes to make Washington less interested in Pakistan eventually and thereby weakening Pakistan’s bargaining position. India has been looking for opportunities to weaken the close ties between the US and Pakistan, and it now feels it is gaining more ground now as the US quietly plans to isolate China to the extent possible over the time.

India has not been able to make great economic progress through socialist means earlier under Jawaharlal Nehru and its march forward economically has not been outstanding through the new market economy mode either. It has still 40 per cent of its people living below the poverty line of a dollar a day, if not more. And the poverty profile of India is not improving substantially following its half-hearted attempts, or because of its wrong priorities.

The poor masses are becoming more and more restive, particularly the lower caste orders.

India is trying to make up for its varied weakness by enhancing its military strength, as well by enlarging its range of nuclear armaments. It is obtaining a nuclear powered submarine from Russia as well as the latest bombers at a cost of three billion dollars. It is also signing a two billion deal with France to acquire Mirage fighter planes as well as submarines. And its billion dollars deal to acquire trainer planes has been under negotiations for long. And it has now been offered F-16 aircraft by Lockheed of the US. And it has a deal with Israel for a billion dollars worth of arms.

And its missile technology has been making steady headway with the varied ranges of its Prithvi and Agni missiles. And it is now said to be developing a nuclear-capable Agni-III missile.

Most of these fighter aircraft and submarines will be assembled in India to provide it with the capacity to develop such equipment by itself. Its armament-building capacity, is to be expanded steadily.

India is also becoming more and more of an arms exporter. It wants to follow Israel in this regard which will also enhance its diplomatic strength with the developing countries.

In such an environment it is not interested in talking to Pakistan to settle their disputes, particularly in respect of Kashmir. The fact is not that it is opposed to talking to Pakistan but it does not want to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan, while Pakistan insists that it is the core dispute between the two countries. So on one pretext or another, it wants to put off talking to Pakistan until Pakistan gives up talking of Kashmir in frustration. Hence, it has consistently opposed mediation in the Kashmir dispute by any other country, including the US and Russia.

The 12th SAARC summit scheduled for January last has been put off. And when the 11th SAARC summit took place in Katmandu last year Mr. Vajpayee refused to have a one-to-one meeting with President Pervez Musharraf. And so there is small hope of such a summit at Kuala Lumpur when the Non-Aligned Summit takes place there in May.

Despite the territorial dispute between China and India, New Delhi has been talking to China but the Indian leader refuses to talk to Pakistan arguing they cannot be talking as long as the cross-border infiltration in Kashmir takes place and Pakistan does not take adequate steps to check that. The US and the Western countries admit that the cross-border infiltration has come down to a considerable extent. But India insists on total stoppage which Pakistan may not be able to achieve in view of the difficult mountainous terrain. Pakistan has instead called for more UN observers along the Line of Control, but that is not acceptable to India which by now does not accept a UN role in Kashmir.

India’s approach to the whole issue by now is more militaristic than diplomatic or political. India was on the point of going to war with Pakistan on two occasions last year, says the former army chief of staff Gen. Padmanabhan.

And recently the Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes threatened to completely wipe out Pakistan if it ever launched a nuclear attack against India. “We will suffer a little but there will be no Pakistan when we respond,” he said. Such extreme language is a mark of the blood thirst of the Indian Defence Minister. What he does not realize is that in his attempt to wipe out Pakistan he would also be wiping out the peoples of Afghanistan, and parts of Iran and Central Asia, if not parts of India too if the fumes go there.

A report from New Delhi said that India intended to spend 95 billion dollars more on the most sophisticated arms in the next 15 years. It would do that following the 28.5 per cent increase in defence outlay it made in 2001.

India argues it could spend far more on defence as its defence spending is only around 3 per cent of its GDP, and it is now trying to be an arms exporter; but the real Indian strategy appears to be to force Pakistan spend more and more of its scarce financial resources on arms, and starve other sectors of the economy in the process. What the US did to the Soviet Union, which was over-armed but under-developed in other ways, India wants to do to Pakistan. Pakistan has to be wary of such a game. It has instead to develop as a wholesome country. And it has to rely more and more on the people of Kashmir to liberate themselves through their valiant freedom struggle. A people who have not given up their struggle for the last 13 years despite the loss of 80,000 lives and enormous loss of homes and hearth will not give that up now, and we have to have faith in them and support them politically and diplomatically.

India will never give up Kashmir, and Pakistan should give up its “futile policy” in respect of the disputed region, says the Indian Prime Minister. He says that India had accepted a long time ago the creation of Pakistan, but Pakistan had not accepted a united and secular India, he says.

He simultaneously called for improved economic and cultural ties to bring about an amicable settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

In such talk of the Indian leaders no thought is given to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir who have suffered for the last 50 years. If Pakistan forgets Kashmir, as the Indian premier counsels, that does not mean the people of Kashmir will forget their homeland and their rights within and let Delhi to rule them directly or through its proxies.

The Vision paper is not doing justice to the sub-continent with its 1.3 billion people when it says that India’s 50-year-old disputes with its neighbours are not likely to be settled easily by 2020. Instead it should have suggested the means by which there could be more peaceful and less poor sub-continent. With greater economic cooperation between the states.

If India does not make earnest attempts in that direction more and more of the South Asian states with disputes with India would align themselves with China and seek its assistance, as Pakistan has been doing. And that may not be welcome at all to India.

The whole world wants India and Pakistan to settle their disputes peacefully. The US says the situation between India and Pakistan now is worse than the relations between the US and the Soviet Union in the days of the cold war. The minimum they want India and Pakistan to do is to talk to each other and try to solve their problem one after another or at least call for a freeze to their explosive disputes for a short while and then try to solve them. Several solutions are possible along with several approaches to them. But the first step is that leaders of the two countries meet. It is futile for India to argue the Kargil skirmish had made all talk between the two countries fruitless or dashed all hopes of success of such talks. Neighbouring countries cannot afford such a stance as they cannot cease to be neighbours ever.

P.S. Following President Musharraf’s visit to Moscow the Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for talks between India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes, including Kashmir. Moscow realizes the importance of talks as the beginning of any kind of settlement between the two neighbors; but India refuses or wants talks excluding Kashmir which Pakistan rejects as that cannot break the ice between the two countries, when Pakistan holds Kashmir as the core dispute between them. Hence the stalemate continues.

INDIA NEVER WITHOUT A MASK

A Mask for indiaIt is befuddling to see two faces of India; one face breathing fire and yearning to annihilate Pakistan, and the other singing melodious tunes of peace and friendship. One year before, Indian civil and military leaders were indulging in high pitch saber rattling.

Their strike formations had moved up into battle locations and fighter jets had scrambled to strike targets in AJK and Muredke. Indian media and public were up in arms beating war drums. Divorcing sanity and rationalism, Indian leadership accused Pakistan of its involvement in Mumbai attacks and charge-sheeted it without any shred of evidence. They had refused to listen to any explanation and spurned offer of joint investigation. Whatever one-sided evidence was provided to Pakistan was flimsy and fabricated. They got irritated when lies got exposed but USA and UK covered up their concoctions by fully backing them up and putting the entire blame on Pakistan. Their bellicosity has not died down to this date and they are still bent upon trying to coercively impose their will on Pakistan.

On 29 December, Indian army Chief Deepak Kapoor stoked embers of war for the second time in quick succession. No sooner this uncalled for jingoistic statement was made another equally puzzling move was made under the caption of Aman ki Asha (desire for peace). A seminar was organised in New Delhi jointly sponsored by India Times and Jang Group from 10-12 January to promote peace between two arch rivals. Notwithstanding the harmless and well-meaning title, timings of the same were rather odd since it does not fit into the vitiated atmosphere deliberately stoked by India. It is persistently inflating its defence budget and its armed forces are getting laced with latest art-of-weapons and its nuclear program is being radically expanded and upgraded. Added to it are its offensive designs and covert operations against Pakistan. It is in no mood to resolve disputes and ease tensions.

From the time India signed peace treaty with Pakistan in January 2004 and promised to resolve all disputes through composite dialogue, India has not moved an inch towards resolution of any dispute. Major disputes are Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, dams on rivers and water. Past master in foot dragging and making false promises, India kept buying time and under the garb of friendship deceived Pakistan by stabbing it in the back. Its intelligence agencies have been indulging in sabotage and subversion and supporting disruptive forces in Pakistan and making several regions turbulent. Even when RAW’s involvement in Balochistan, FATA and Swat came to light our leaders preferred to remain quiet so as not to antagonize India.

Taking our policy of appeasement as a sign of weakness, RAW and Mossad in consultation with CIA cooked up Mumbai drama. Indian political leaders and media upped the ante and held Pakistan squarely responsible for the carnage without a shred of evidence. Their mentors in USA and UK lent credence to their false claims. The incident planned in a shoddy manner backfired and prestige of shining India got badly bruised. Indian public termed it as an intelligence failure. Intelligence agencies, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Mumbai security apparatus as well as Army were censured since a band of ten terrorists managed to breach the cordon and held the port city hostage for over 72 hours. Response of security forces was simply pathetic, resulting in lots of fatalities including foreigners and loss of face.

When Pakistan did not get over awed and held its ground firmly on diplomatic and military planes coolly, maturely and boldly, it nonplussed plot makers in India. As the dust settled down and glaring loopholes in the wicked plan started to prop up, it further perplexed them. It irritated them to find Pakistan objecting to their fake pieces of evidence and got panicky when their lies got exposed. Not knowing what to do, they were left with no other option but to keep crying as victims of terrorism and stubbornly clinging on to their ridiculous stance that India would not renew dialogue unless Pakistan acted upon its silly demands of punishing the culprits and dismantling terrorist networks. While expecting a lot from Pakistan, India refuse to admit that it is involved in subversive activities, well knowing that Pakistan has collected heap of evidence.

Hosts of steps taken by Pakistan were disregarded and like USA, it also started to stupidly sing the mantra of ‘do more’. This piggish stance has become all the more necessary to hide their embarrassment since Ajmal Kasab, the lone witness on which the whole case was cleverly spun by Indian agencies has begun to unravel truths while recoding his statement in the law court. He has categorically denied having killed anyone on 26/11 and revealed that he was kidnapped and put in jail much before the incident and on the day of occurrence he was taken to the site, shot and injured. Involvement of local terrorists aided by elements within Indian army and RAW in Samjhota Express and Malegaon acts of terror has already been proven.

In the backdrop of demonstrated Indian bellicosity, Aman ki Asha came as a surprise and left many in Pakistan gaping in wonder as to what to believe and what not to believe. Pro-Indian elements within Pakistan have however hailed the initiative. They have been ignoring Indian clandestine operations together with jingoism and have projected Indo-US theme that religious extremists and not India is the existential threat to security of Pakistan. They laugh and mock those who say that war on terror is US war and not our war. They also ignored Gen Kapoor’s offensive statements but jumped with excitement at the proposed seminar on Aman ki Asha and lauded the idea profusely. In their series of write ups they have projected it as a breakthrough and a step in the right direction towards Indo-Pak détente. None bothered to contemplate that no Indian leader has brought any change in his tone and hawkish style, or taken any confidence building measures (CBM) to ease up tension. List of invitees was prepared from among them.

Aman ki Asha is not meant to promote peace but to once again harm Pakistan through guile and deceit. It has been conceived and sponsored by RAW with devious motives. Real motive behind it is to sidestep real issues of conflict and once again indulge in nonsensical CBMs. It is an effort to hoodwink world comity and to again take Pakistan for a ride. India has somehow come to the conclusion that as a result of Indo-US-Israel-UK eight-year collective efforts, Pakistan has been sufficiently weakened from within and is now in dire strait. In their view the Islamists imbued with warrior spirit who remain ever ready to shed last drop of their blood to defend Pakistan have been antagonized and marginalized while sizeable numbers of soldiers pushed into the quicksand of war on terror for times to come. They feel that time is ripe to dictate terms either through military coercion or through peace mantra and extract maximum concessions. They want peace to be imposed on Indian terms which they perceive will be readily accepted by Pakistan. Pro-Indian lobbies particularly among ultra liberals in Pakistan will actively pursue their agenda.

If India is really interested in peace, it will have to first undo some of the blatant wrongs it inflicted upon Pakistan. It must immediately put an end to its intrusive and meddlesome activities in Pakistan, it should abide by Indus Basin Treaty of 1960 and stop stealing water and building dams on rivers flowing into Pakistan, abide by Indo-Pak agreement on Siachen inked in 1989, resolve Sir Creek issue on which already lot of ground has been covered, stop its vile propaganda against Pakistan, develop relations on the basis of trust, friendship, respect and equality. Above all, longstanding Kashmir dispute which is the main bone of contention should be resolved in accordance with UN Resolutions and pledges of Nehru.

Brig A Haroon Raja