Kashmiri Insaniyat

Author: Editorial
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 5, 2000

By proposing that the government's talks with the Hizbul Mujahideen be conducted in the larger framework of humanity, insaniyat as he called it, Atal Behari Vajpayee has once again shown what it is to rise above the limitations of partisan politics and adopt the voice of global statesmanship.  The Prime Minister's offer goes to the heart of the matter: that Kashmir is much more than a political `problem'; it has, and for far too long, been a human tragedy.  No less significant is Mr Vajpayee's gesture of leading an all-party delegation to condole the deaths of the victims of the recent massacres in Jammu and Kashmir.  Hopefully, this will serve as an important first step towards making J&K a supra partisan issue, one in which all parties unite behind the government rather than as in the past when they warred -- whether over the nuclear tests or the Kargil war.  A useful follow-up might be to appoint an all-party consultative committee.  Of course, the Opposition will also have to rise above petty partisan politics and support the government on its positive initiative.  The Prime Minister has demonstrated immense political sagacity in pursuing the path of peaceful negotiations in the face of extreme provocation.  For its part, the Hizbul Mujahideen, too, deserves to be complimented for not succumbing to terrorist pressures from the various mercenary groups operating from across the border.  The emergence of four commanders of the Hizbul as negotiators suggests that the Hizbul move is rooted in the soil of Kashmir.  This is why it is important not to be misled by fears of vengeful terrorism of the anti-Kashmiri mercenaries.

In one imaginative sweep Prime Minister Vajpayee has cut through the maze of confusion surrounding the framework of talks.  Really, there can be no approach superior to the humanitarian approach.  This principled stand is worthy of emulation by governments all over the world.  That would squarely put the responsibility for humanitarian behaviour on the terrorists and their supporters.  The Prime Minister's stand on Pakistani involvement in the negotiations is also consistent with his stand that there can be no talks under the threat of the gun.  Mr Vajpayee did not rule out a dialogue with Pakistan but he rightly insists that it should first observe a ceasefire.  That would mean stopping infiltration of armed mercenaries into Jammu and Kashmir.  The carnage of this week pointed to one of two possibilities : Either Pakistan is supportive of the massacres committed by the terrorist groups or it has no control over them.  While the Hizbul is certainly one of the major groups of armed militants, the massacres showed that violence in J&K has to be tackled on a much wider framework; behind the violence are a number of marauding mercenary groups who do not go along with the Hizbul Mujahideen.  In other words, terrorist violence will have to be on top of the agenda of discussion between the Kaushal team and the Hizbul team.  The Prime Minister and the political parties should now unitedly demonstrate the resolve of India to find a solution to the Kashmir issue within a humanitarian framework.
 

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