Round The World
New Delhi, 11
March 2015
Situation
Benign
NEED FOR
INDIA-PAK DIALOGUE
By Ashok B
Sharma
Relations between India and Pakistan have seen many ups and
downs with intermittent breaks in friendship and outbreaks of tensions at the
border or infiltration of terrorists. The relationship between these two major
economies in the region has stalled the development process in South Asia. New
Delhi’s indication to resume the stalled dialogue
process has given a ray of hope. At the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar began his SAARC yatra. In the process he met his counterpart Aizaz Ahmad in Islamabad. Initial talks
have been fruitful as per reports.
Recall, last year the dialogue
process was called off as the Pakistani envoy in New Delhi Abdul Basit chose to
meet the separatist Hurriyat leaders ahead of the scheduled talks, contrary to India’s
insistence. This time also Basit called the Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali
Shah Geelani and briefed him about the recent secretary-level talks. Islamabad had always taken the route of talking to the Hurriyat
leaders and informing them about the developments in relationship between the
two countries, whereas New Delhi wants to bring
home the fact that as per Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration there is no
scope for any third party intervention when the Kashmir
issue is discussed between the two countries. The only instance in recent times
when Islamabad
deviated from its chosen option was during the visit of the Pakistan Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif during the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Modi.
However, after the derailment of
talks last year Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had indicated that talks may resume
in the near future saying “in diplomacy there is no full stop, but comas.” To
give a fillip to the resumption of talks, Modi has planned to use cricket
diplomacy in the region at a time when India’s prospects look brighter in
the World Cup tournament.
Another significant development that
can be catalyzed to develop better relationship between the two countries is
the conclusion of free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir where people came out to
vote in large numbers for the first time since 1987 polls. The total recorded
voter turnout at the conclusion of the five phases of the polls in 87
constituencies was 65.23%. In the first two phases voter turnout was 71% and in
the final phase it was 76%.
The separatists believe that the
mandate has no bearing on the Kashmir dispute
and does not overshadow the “right to self-determination”. India maintains that the accession of Jammu and Kashmir is
full and final. Whatever may be the interpretation, the fact is the people have
voted for a change and the development of the region is also one of their
aspirations.
A survey conducted by Pakistan’s
leading English daily, Dawn shows that 60.23% of the respondents approve of the
elected PDP-BJP coalition government in the State. It is the writing on the
wall for Pakistan to keep
their intentions about the Kashmir issue on
the backburner and allow the elected government in the State to function freely
keeping with the aspirations of the people. Instead of raking up the Kashmir
issue, Pakistan should now
concentrate on trade and development issues with India and for further integration
of the SAARC region. If there can be trade, economic and cultural cooperation
between India and China despite the boundary issue, why can’t it
be so between Islamabad and New Delhi?
Critics say that the verdict of the
J&K people is fractured and indecisive. But the reality is that the polity
of J&K is fractured. Three major regions of the state – Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh – have
their own aspirations. It is true that J&K has been functioning as a single
integrated unit for more than one and a half century, though the entity is not
a natural conglomeration. Separatists’ elements are concentrated in parts of
the Kashmir valley.
To do justice to the regional
imbalance, the carefully drafted Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the PDP-BJP
coalition has tried to address the problem of the three regions. In the Union
Budget, the Government has assured setting up of a super specialty medical
institute and hospital, AIIMS and in the valley and an Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) in Jammu.
The Udampur-Katra rail link has been operationalized in July 2014 and works are
on for Katra-Qazigund link. This would facilitate connectivity to the State.
As BJP is the ruling party at the
Centre and incidentally it has also for the first time emerged as a king maker
in the State, it is expected that the Prime Minister Modi will have extra
handle to effectively deal in moving towards meeting the aspirations of the
people and developing good relations with Pakistan. J&K Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has admitted Modi having a vision for South
Asia and he expects his vision for J&K to materialize.
Playing to his political gallery in
the valley, Mufti has credited the success of the peaceful elections to Pakistan and
the Hurriyat whereas the Union government says that security forces aided to
check infiltrations at the border, maintained peace in the State and voluntary
voters’ turnout facilitated the success. Similarly is Mufti’s call for handing
over the immortal remains of the convict in Parliament attack Afzal Guru and
the recent release of the accused separatist leader Masrat Alam. The coalition
partner, BJP has urged for setting up of a joint steering committee for
deciding on release of such prisoners. But Mufti intends to convert the complex
challenges in the State to an opportunity for development “Politics is an art
of possibilities and managing contradicts. My job is to work with
contradictions and protect political rights as well,” he says.
BJP has acted sensibly to keep the
contentious issue of the demand for removing Article 370 in the backburner. The
mutually agreed CMP says “the present position will be maintained on all the
constitutional provisions pertaining to J&K including the special status in
the Constitution of India.” It has urged for normalizing relations with
Pakistan, people-to-people contact on both sides of LoC, initiating dialogue
process with all political groups, including the Hurriyat, review of security
laws to enable the Union Government to take a final view on the continuation of
AFPSA in some areas, return of land to rightful owners, except in cases where
land is required for specific security needs, return of Kashmiri pandits with
dignity to the valley, one-time settlement for refugees from PoK.
This is the opportune moment for
Mufti to work for the development of the State. It is also the right time for India to strike the right chord in its
relationship with Pakistan.
Islamabad should also refrain from anything that
upsets the plan for development in J&K and also deters effective
integration in South Asia. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
|