Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today hoped that the new Government at the Centre would carry forward the dialogue process with Pakistan to address long-pending issues between the two countries, including Kashmir and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s Special envoy, S L Lambah, said that borders between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir can’t be redrawn.
While addressing a seminar, “Discussion between India and Pakistan on J&K – A Historical Perspective” organized by Institute of Kashmir Studies at Kashmir University today, Omar said: “Hope the new Government in New Delhi will not allow the dialogue process to die.”
Chief Minister said: “It is most important that the new Government taking office in New Delhi carries forward the process of dialogue with Pakistan and takes ahead the progress made by Ambassador Lambah in this regard.”
Omar said the Kashmir issue is a long-pending problem and has political genesis which requires a political resolution. “Kashmir issue has political genesis and it requires a political resolution. There is a need for continuing the ongoing back channel dialogue between India and Pakistan to move forward on addressing the long-pending issue which has consumed generations”, he said.
Chief Minister said a solution which will satisfy the aspirations of the majority of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is the only way out. “You cannot give any solution which will be acceptable to each and every citizen of the State. You have to work out a solution which will satisfy the aspirations of the majority of the people. Though such a solution is difficult to sell yet this is only way out in this regard,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the dialogue process has two sides and the two parties with different positions have to come to a meeting point so that productive progress is achieved. “The longevity of dialogue without any logical conclusion takes out all sheen out of it and people start disbelieving this process. The discussion on Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan has been a very long and non-conclusive affair. This has made people apprehensive about the success of this process,” he said.
Omar said the transitions in the administration in Pakistan have impacted the forward movement in the back channel dialogue more than those in India. “The forward movement which we had seen during the time of President Musharraf was not at the same pace in President Zardari’s period. India looked forward towards the dialogue process with Pakistan both during the period of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh,” he said.
Chief Minister recalled his grandfather, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s statement where he had maintained that India and Pakistan needed to leave the rigid and stated positions on Jammu and Kashmir and find out a solution which would be addressing the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir even if the two countries have to lose some of their stated positions in the process.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s Special Envoy, Satinder K Lambah, in his speech said that borders in Jammu and Kashmir can’t be redrawn and the Line of Control between India and Pakistan is a de facto border. “There can be no redrawing of borders”, he said.
Lambah said the 720-km LoC, in Jammu and Kashmir is like a border between any two normal States. He, however, said people of the State should be able to move freely across the LoC and called for expediting trans-LoC trade.
The PM’s special envoy said once there is an end to hostility, there should be minimum presence of Army and paramilitary forces on either side of the LoC, particularly in the populated areas. “It will be important to ensure self-governance for internal management in all areas,” he added.
Lambah said human rights needed to be respected on both sides of the LoC and called for reintegrating militants into society. He said Kashmir settlement is important for both New Delhi and Islamabad and would give the people of the State an opportunity to seek future defined by the bright light of hope, not darkened by the shadow of gun.
“Kashmir problem has not stopped India from forging its destiny as a secular, pluralist democracy and one of the world’s major economies and a military power,” the PM’s envoy said. “However, if New Delhi could resolve Kashmir issue, it would substantially enhance India’s security strengthen, the prospects for durable peace and stability in the region and enable India to focus more on the rapidly emerging long-term geopolitical challenges.
It will relieve the burden that our troops have to shoulder in terms of lives and resources,” he said.
Lambah said India never stopped talks seeking Kashmir solution with Pakistan even after the Parliament attack, Mumbai attacks and bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. He said that the process has survived and sustained itself despite these brutal and high visibility assaults.
The PM’s envoy said Kashmir issue could not be settled by war, force or violence. “A solution will also remain elusive if we keep harping on positions that have failed to resolve the problem in the past,” he said.
Lambah said New Delhi’s position on Kashmir is legally, politically and historically correct and that a correct position should never be given up.
He said successive Prime Ministers of India had made resolution of Jammu and Kashmir a priority.
Citing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s example, the Envoy said the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader had taken a bold initiative to reset the relations with Islamabad in 1999, months after nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.
“Kargil war did not dissuade him to engage its perpetrators in Agra, nor did the Parliament attack of December 2001 stop him from making another journey to Pakistan in January 2004 in search of peace and settlement,” said Lambah. “And despite discouraging signals, he continued with the back channel discussion on Kashmir”, he said.
Lambah said Manmohan Singh picked up the baton from Vajpayee and turned it into one of his foreign policy priorities. “The PM has consistently advocated a solution that does not seek to redraw the border or amend the constitution but one that makes the boundaries irrelevant, enables commerce, communication, contacts and development of Kashmiri people on both sides and that ends the cycle of violence,” he added.
The envoy said: “Kashmir resolution will help us achieve a stable, peaceful, cooperative and connected neighbourhood, essential for us to realize our destiny.”
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