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Indian ex-soldiers urge Musharraf to end violence

Indian ex-soldiers urge Musharraf to end violence

Author: UNI & PTI
Publications: Sunday Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa
Dated: March 4, 2001

A delegation of Indo-Pakistani  soldiers' initiative for peace, comprising retired Indian armed  forces personnel, which came back from Lahore last evening, met  the Pakistan chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf, in  lslamabad and conveyed India's concern on continuing violence in  Jamrnu and Kashmir.

"Our meeting with Gen Musharraf was very cordial and he never  uttered the word Kashmir," said a former chief of naval staff,  Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, who led the delegation to Pakistan.

"It seemed Pakistan is very keen on resumption of dialogue and  is waiting for India's permission to a Hurriyat delegation to  visit Islamabad,"3 he said and quoted Gen Musharraf to say: 'It  should not need an earthquake or natural calamities to bring our  two countries together.

Gen Musharraf also stressed on the need to strengthen the South  Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and develop a forum  to foster economic development in South Asia.

"Prime Minister Vajpayee's extension of the cease-fire is well  received in Pakistan, but the leadership also feels it should be  accompanied by concrete steps to make the peace process move  forward," Adm Ramdas said.

Bilateral relations reached hit a low in the wake of the Kargil  conflict in 1999 and India has since been insisting that  dialogue could be resumed only after Islamabad stopped aiding  and abetting cross-border terrorism.

"There is also a general feeling there that it is violence that  is keeping the Kashmir issue in focus," said Lieutenant General  (retd) Moti Dhar, a former vice-chief of Army staff.

The 20-member delegation including noted Gandhian, Ms Nirmala  Deshpande, IPSI's India chapter president, Vice-Admiral (retd)  lnder Bedi, Air Marshal (retd) Kuldip Rai and Lt Gen (retd) M M  Walia, besides wives of many of these personnel.

They met academics, journalists, security analysts and Kashmiri  separatist leaders during the week-long visit to Pakistan.

Briefing on the "free and frank" discussions with a former  president of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayyum  Khan, Air Marshal Rai said the separatist leader favoured an  "Intra-Kashmir" dialogue involving leaders from both sides of  LoC to precede any official level talks.

Adm Ramdas said Gen Musharraf also regretted the snapping of  sporting ties between the two countries that led to the  cancellation of the scheduled tour of the Indian cricket team to  Pakistan early this year.

'I had asked for a grand reception of the team and I would have  been personally involved in welcoming the Indian team,' Adm  Ramdas quoted Gen Musharraf as saying during the 1-hour meeting  the delegation had with him in lslamabad on February 27.

The delegation members also felt that the visa restrictions  between the two countries needed to be relaxed to foster  people-to-people contact, which could create a congenial  atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Gen Musharraf is said to be contemplating becoming  the president- dent to legitimise his rule and also to ensure  that leaders like Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mr Nawaz Sharif remain  in political wilderness for years to come.

The General, who is to retire this October, "is readying to don  the mantle of the president of Pakistan" most probably before  his term expires, an article in lslamabad's Fridav Times said.

"One argument given in favour of Musharraf's imminent election  as president is that this is how the Army would better ensure  continuity of the most vital policies pursued by the present  regime. This is how... Gen Musharraf could ensure that Bhutto  and Sharif remain in political wilderness for years to come," it  said.

Should Gen Musharraf become the president, "he would have  traversed a much-trodden path in Pakistan's sad history during  which the presidency has housed all sorts of conspirators  (Iskander Mirza, Ghularn lshaq Khan), usurpers (Generals Ayub,  Yahya, Zia), stooges (Chaudhry Fazal Elahl, Rafiq Tarar) and  misfits (Farooq Leghari)," said a prominent journalist, Mr  Najarn Sethi, in an editorial in the paper.

"The simplest way would be for him to follow the footsteps of  Caesar, Napoleon or Attaturk - having seized the crown, he could  simply put it on his head, change his tunic and announce 1'etat,  cest moi (Alas! Times have changed)," wrote Mr Sethi.

He said the defunct Parliament could be revived "sooner or  later, for better or for worse, to hand him his crown, create  dubious conditions for reinvesting itself and call ita day. But  that is easier said than done."

The tenure of Pakistan's suspended National Assembly comes to an  end on February 2 next year. Five general elections have been  held since the revival of the 1973 Constitution in 1985. But  none of the assemblies have been able to complete their 5-year  terms.

Quoting political observers, the Fridav Times said by restoring  the assemblies the regime could hope to put an end to the  Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, whose major components  were the Pakistan People's Party of Ms Bhutto and Pakistan  Muslim League led by Mr Sharif.

lt quoted legal experts as saying Gen Musharraf had various  other options to prolong his rule, including the Supreme Court's  decision to validate the military regime and authorising the  chief executive to keep the office for 3 years.
 


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