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Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf is either naive or he has very low opinion of the power of understanding of Indians. Otherwise there is no rationale for his insistence to describe crossborder terrorism in Kashmir as "freedom struggle". If this were true, there would have been no need to push across arms and men in such large numbers across the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir, nor for the militants to display their arms so freely in Pakistan and to make such tall claims that even the Pakistan ruler had to caution them.
It is true that army generals, particularly of the commando variety to which General Musharraf belongs, have a tendency to simplify things. But, in the new role that the General has carved for himself, he would either have to change or come to grief. One can easily ask the General whether it was the freedom fighters who were occupying the heights of Kargil in the last conflict between the two countries, or men belonging to Pakistan Frontier Force who had to withdraw after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was called upon by Americans to put an end to hostilities.
Commandoes or simple soldiers like the Gurkhas of the Indian Army have remained the butt of jokes for their misinterpretation of larger issues involved and like to stick to simple objectives and clear commands. This makes them ideal for achieving immediate objectives, but they fail in overall strategy. This was true in case of Gen. Musharaff, who proved to be a good tactician through his strategy in Kargil operation, but failed to prepare for the overall objective resulting in withdrawal in circumstances which brought no glory.
The General can rightly push forward the agenda of Kashmir and offer to drink, eat and sleep Kashmir, but he cannot escape the reality that any talk of resolving the Kashmir dispute - or the issue as he chooses to call it. Also he cannot move at all till peace is resolved which again can come about only if Pakistan agrees to rein in militants and stop pushing across the border arms and men. The argument of freedom struggle cannot be washed down as long as innocents - Amarnath pilgrims or the poor in Doda - continue to be targeted.
India and Pakistan have made a beginning by opening a dialogue but such talks have a future only if they are based on reality, and crossborder terrorism is a reality in Kashmir. If Pakistan wants to push Kashmir as the focus, it will have to accept the reality of existence of militants operating from its territory with its active support in the field. To hold the puppet regime in occupied Kashmir as one guiding it will be pushing the credibility to a point unacceptable to the India.
Once peace is restored other questions like involvement of Kashmiris in the talks can be taken up. But here again Pakistan will have to take the lead. How can it talk of deciding the future of the State according to the wishes of the people if it has not even conceded that right to people living in the area under its control? It is no secret that those seeking independent Kashmir are denied the right to vote in occupied Kashmir and the Pakistani army has a role in deciding who will rule that part of the State.
Yet another condition which requires fulfilment is creation of an atmosphere in which the minority community, which has been forced to migrate from the State because of the unrest created by militants, should be allowed to return as it is also a part of the public opinion whose consent is required before deciding the future of the State. The Pakistani General is demanding a definite schedule to resolve the Kashmir issue but only his priorities are wrong as any progress on any issue including Kashmir is unthinkable if peace is not restored first.
At the same time India must pursue its own process of normalisation in Kashmir, which in real terms imply greater acceptability of Indian policy on Kashmir. In this context the process of talking to all groups irrespective of their political affiliations must continue. The solution of the problem at local level can go a long way in reducing the capacity for mischief by rulers of Pakistan and the importance that it is trying to assume in resolving the issue. In this context, we must avoid the mistakes made in the past like putting all our eggs in one basket. In any search for solution, the State's ruling party, the National Conference, and its Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, will have a role to play. However, to presume that they alone can solve the problem will not help as many of the problems that the State faces today are a result of the mistakes made by them and their inability to provide good governance in J&K. In the search for solution of the Kashmir problem, India has to involve all those who are prepared to work within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
The important ingredients of such a policy should make democracy a cornerstone of our policy. Our inability to hold free and fair elections in the J&K - with the single exception of 1977 - has contributed in a large way towards creating the difficulties we are facing today. If the State had not resorted to strong-arm methods or rigging, many faces at present in the ranks of the militants may have become an important part of the state machinery and Government by joining the national mainstream. Jammu & Kashmir needs a healing touch, to treat the long, inflicted wounds, and this process must continue irrespective of the dramatics and shotgun tactics adopted by Pakistanis who believe in hit and run approach.
(NPA)
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