Elusive
peace
Sir,
In an
interview, Ms Benazir Bhutto, former
Prime Minister of Pakistan, has expressed
doubt over General Musharraf's sincerity
vis-a-vis the ongoing peace process. She
was of the view that the General was not
going to bring down the intensity of
terrorism in Kashmir as he thinks that he
has got India on a hook, and why should
he take off the hook. Being the former
Prime Minister, Ms Bhutto knows the
mindset of Pakistani Generals and the ISI
better than anyone else. Her
pronouncements about the intention of
General Musharraf and his men cannot be
discounted merely because she is herself
a victim of General Musharraf's
intrigues.
Some
forward movement in the people to people
contact notwithstanding actions so far of
the Pakistani rulers on the ground
vindicate Ms Bhutto's doubt. In fact,
whatever General Musharraf is pursuing in
Kashmir betrays his words. Infiltration
of terrorists into J&K still
continues. The leaders of terrorist
groups continue to be sheltered in
Pakistan. Persons like Syed Salahuddin
and Masood Azhar continue to spit venom
against India and exhort their cadres to
intensify their violent activities in
Kashmir and elsewhere. The Pakistani
electronic media has not done anything to
improve the environment to facilitate
peace. On top of this, Pakistan
government indulgence in acts with the
sole intention of humiliating India
wherever possible. Else, how could one
explain the reasons for the Pak
government to keep the Indian High
Commissioner designate waiting for weeks
to present his credentials to General
Musharraf. On the other side of the
border, Pakistan denied permission to the
Indian High Commissioner to travel to
Wagha to receive the delegation of Indian
MPs on a goodwill mission to Pakistan.
The hindrance on resumption of air link,
not allowing extra bus to ply between the
two countries, snubbing any friendly
overture from India (India recently
offered technical help to Pakisan to plug
the oil leakage in its pipeline which was
rejected), etc etc. are some of the many
actions aimed at derailing the peace
process rather than facilitating the
same.
No doubt,
there is sincere desire on both sides of
the border for peace to come in the
sub-continent. However, the policy
pursued by the present Pakistani ruler is
impediment in the path of peace process.
General Musharraf must realize that the
policy with religious underpinning is
irrelevant in the present world scenario
where economy overrides all other
considerations. And if we talk about
economy, Pakistan's economy has suffered
a lot due to political instability and
the country going from coup to coup in
last 50 years. On top of this, its
bellicosity towards India has enhanced
its defence budget to a point of no
return. Prime Minister Vajpayee's oft
repeated peace offer had never been the
sign of weakness as perceived by Pak
Generals. His intention is clear. He
wants to provide a peaceful environment
to the people of the sub-continent for
their economic betterrment. General
Musharraf should realize this and change
his attitude. Otherwise the peace will
remain elusive. India has shown lot of
flexibility. It is now time for Pakistan
to reciprocate.
Yours
etc...
Mushtaq Wani
New Delhi.
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