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Let us do away with Kashmir Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Mazhar, Pakistan Apr 23, 2007
Peace & Conflict   Opinions
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“Pakistan does not claim Kashmir, the Kashmir dispute is about the aspirations of Kashmiris.” Pakistan’s foreign affairs spokesperson Tasnim Aslam was more articulate and fluent in her speech than the President himself when he said that Pakistan was willing to withdraw its claim over Kashmir. In his previous interview with a private TV channel President Pervez Musharraf has said, “If they (APHC leaders) are not willing to accept this (his formula for the solution of Kashmir issue); they must be prepared to fight with India for another hundred years."
Before partition, when there was Dogra rule in Kashmir, civil liberties were non-existent. People were asked to pay taxes for their hearths, agricultural tools and even wives. This was the most heinous aspect of a tyrannical rule. The idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent was fascinating for the people of Kashmir. They invited Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to visit Kashmir in order to show their sympathy to this idea. In the later years of history they proved their allegiance to this cause and wanted to accede to Pakistan.
Ideologically, Kashmiri nationalism is a natural outcome of the concept of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Therefore Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan remained a focal point of the struggle of Kashmiri Muslims after the independence of India and Pakistan.
According to the official version, when Pakistan turned over Afghan policy, it was considered necessary due to our commitments on the war against terror. Though, lately we have accepted that it was the threat that worked. Contrarily, our relations today with India are much better than the previous years of tensions and mistrust. But we are heading towards another somersault on Kashmir without any homework. Astonishingly, Musharraf’s close aides in the parliament including federal ministers are still trumpeting that there is no policy shift on Kashmir.
On 07 January, 2006 in a media interview in Islamabad, he aired the idea of demilitarization of three major cities in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) namely Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramullah as the first step towards solving the issue by placing the disputed area under joint control and management.
This was not the first time Musharraf had proposed demilitarization in Kashmir. He floated the same idea in October 2004, though without naming any town. He said, “Demilitarize Kashmir, give self governance to its people with a joint management arrangement on top.”
Now, the president has gone not a single step forward but a giant leap. Asked whether Pakistan was giving up its claim to Kashmir, Musharraf said, "We will have to... yes... if this solution comes up." Let us have a glance at how this incident was reported in our immediate neighborhood. 'Speaking without thinking' (daily Star Bengladesh), 'Musharraf a Modern Kautaliya' (Greater Kashmir), 'Musharraf has misspoken again' (Gulf News), 'Pakistan changes tenor of its Kashmir position' (Hindustan Times).
Kashmir is no more an integral part of Pakistan, not even a joint territory between India and Pakistan. Pakistan also asserts now that “If we talk of independent Kashmir then we will be out of Kashmir's legal framework which gives the Kashmir dispute an international legality."
If Kashmir is not going to be an integral part of Pakistan/India nor it is an independent state, then what type of the territory is it? Self-rule in its finest state without an international face is no more than a mess. So, let the Kashmiris fight for another hundred years with this mess.
An earlier President’s four point formula included identification of the territory of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, demilitarization on both sides of the LoC, self governance by the people of the state and joint control by India and Pakistan.
At first, India categorically denied this formula. But with the passage of time a willingness to think upon these lines has been shown by Indian authorities at occasions. India is interested in converting this occasion into an opportunity to get some pledges upon a non-traditional security environment. New Delhi is willing to set up cross LoC joint mechanisms on issues of health, water management, environment protection and tourism etc, but unwilling to give sovereignty status under a joint management system.
According to the Indian approach, we should think in terms of Indo-Pak joint management of various resources and consultative institutions in agriculture, forestry, environment, tourism, water and power by making borders irrelevant. But, Indian opposition leaders from BJP are still pressing the government not to indulge in such interaction with Pakistan.
We must understand that first we stepped down from the previous stand on Kashmir in which we considered it a disputed state between two countries. Its status was yet to be determined according to the UN resolutions and those resolutions called for a plebiscite in Kashmir.





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Mazhar


The writer is a journalist based in Karachi. He is a human rights and peace activist associated with Press for Peace.
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