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Musharraf’s ‘out of the box’ ideas on Kashmir |
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In his book – In the Line of Fire : A memoir – published earlier this month, the Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has, among other things, brought out the key elements in his ‘out of the box’ solution to the Kashmir issue.
The first element is identification of the geographic regions of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that need resolution. This means specifically addressing the question whether all five regions or `provinces' — the Northern Areas and `Azad Kashmir' comprising the Pakistan part, and Jammu, Srinagar, and Ladakh comprising the Indian part — are "on the table for discussion or are there ethnic, political and strategic considerations dictating some give and take."
The second component of the Musharraf solution is demilitarisation of "this identified region or regions" and curbing "all militant parts of the freedom struggle." This would give "comfort to the Kashmiris who are fed up of the fighting and killing on both sides."
The third is the introduction of "self-governance or self-rule in the identified regions." This would enable Kashmiris to "have the satisfaction of running their own affairs without having an international character and remaining short of independence."
The fourth element is setting up "a joint mechanism with a membership of Pakistanis, Indians and Kashmiris overseeing the self-governance and dealing with residual subjects common to all identified regions and those subjects that are beyond the scope of self-governance."
Observers say, the first element seems to imply that, with Pakistan not pressing its claims on Jammu and Ladakh regions or "provinces" and India not pressing its claims on the Northern Areas and `Azad Kashmir,' the focus should be on the hotly disputed zone, the Kashmir Valley. From the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, India has been opposed to any such sectarian or religious "regionalisation" of the Jammu and Kashmir problem. The second element calls for the demilitarisation essentially of the Kashmir Valley or at least parts of it. The third element implies a high degree of autonomy, "self-rule," essentially for the Kashmir Valley. This too goes against the grain of the secular Indian position that all the regions or "provinces" of Jammu and Kashmir should have the same degree of autonomy. As for the fourth element, the joint mechanism, it would mean for the Kashmir Valley a degree of autonomy or "freedom" going far beyond the 1952 Delhi agreement between Prime Minister Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah, which was meant to provide Jammu and Kashmir a much wider degree of autonomy than that enjoyed by any other State of the Union but was never fully implemented.
General Musharraf does not spell out in his book how far his "out of the box" solution is prepared to go in accommodating India's claims on the part of Jammu and Kashmir held by Pakistan, but there is a hint that "some give and take" is possible.
Separatists in the Valley are generally observing silence in the reaction to the Musharraf book, saying that they will react only when they have read it and not on the basis of excerpts published in newspapers.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has urged the Prime Minister to consider reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir. She also favoured self-rule.
PM’s authority intact : Musharraf contention refuted : India has rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s contention in his newly published book that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s authority is ‘withering away’. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New York last week, “India is a mature democracy and the Prime Minister negotiates on behalf of the Government. There is no question of withering away of the authority. The Prime Minister is fully authorised to carry on the negotiations.”
The Pakistan President in his book - In The Line of Fire: A Memoir - has said that the initial signs of sincerity and flexibility he sensed in Dr. Singh were "withering away."
Mukherjee also rejected the General's claim that India was defeated in the Kargil conflict. ``India had got back all its area in Kargil and also established its post there. So, there is no question of defeat."
The BJP has demanded that the Government respond to and rebut the “blatant lies being perpetrated by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the Kargil war.”
Vajpayee refutes Musharraf’s claims on Agra Summit : Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has rejected Gen. Musharraf’s claim in his book that the Agra Summit of 2001 failed because “someone above” scuttled the talks. In a statement issued in New Delhi on September 26, he said, the Agra talks failed because Musharraf refused to describe the violence in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorism.
Vajpayee said Musharraf took the stand that the violence taking place in Jammu and Kashmir “could not be described as terrorism”. “He continued to claim that the bloodshed in the state was nothing but the people’s battle for freedom. It was this stand of General Musharraf that India just could not accept,” Vajpayee said. “And this was responsible for the failure of the Agra summit.”
“Pakistan,” according to Vajpayee, “came to our viewpoint when, in the joint statement of January 2004, it agreed that the Pakistan Government would not allow Pakistan or any land in its control to be used for purposes of terrorism.” The joint statement of January 2004 became a starting point for the composite dialogue between the two countries. (For more details see Chapter India and its Neighbours)
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