TWO vexed problems are playing havoc with the peace of the country. They need careful handling. And also an early solution, if possible.
The first is the Ayodhya tangle, which has not only claimed the lives of hundreds of people but has also changed the color of the Indian polity. The second is the Kashmir dispute — reason for two wars with our neighbor as well as the cause of continuing blood-letting in the Valley. The Kashmiris there are at the receiving end from the protagonists — the security forces as well as from those fighting for the cause of Kashmir.
In a civilized society, the prime concern has always been the life and safety of its people. If, today, the West is ahead of us, it’s primarily due to the fact that they value human life, their safety, security and well-being more than anything else. This in turn makes the society peaceful, healthy and vibrant, without only sporadic incidents of unrest.
Whenever there is any unrest, like the one in Quebec when secession reared its ugly head, they opt for a ballot, if there is any conflict in Ireland they initiate meaningful dialogue, which in most of the cases bears fruit.
But, in India, the more serious the problem, the least serious solution is offered. The best examples of our untenable efforts in solving burning issues are the ones offered by the government in the Ayodhya and Kashmir disputes. After the opening of the doors of the Babri Masjid in 1984, all subsequent governments have failed to come up with any concrete solution to this simmering issue and have treated major problem as a minor irritant.
Interestingly, at one time, a “high-power committee” was formed by the government to solve the dispute. At its helm was a man without any pervious experience of dealing with any such crisis. In addition he was immature politically. This virtual non-entity was Subodh Kant Sahay — state home minister in two short-lived government at the center. What Sahay and his group did is before us. The problem has only compounded.
Now the government of a “visionary” Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who, the media believes can solve the Kashmir tangle once and forever, has appointed K.C. Pant as “point man” to negotiate with the separatists.
In his 30 years of checkered political career, Pant, who heads the Planning Commission and Population Commission, has now been given the tough task of solving the issue. Will he have enough time to solve Asian subcontinent’s most serious problem which has the potential of igniting nuclear war in the region?
Furthermore, what Pant has done after officially taking on “Mission Impossible” borders on the ridiculous. He has dug up a deadwood in Kashmir politics — Mir Qasim. Is Mir Qasim relevant to present day Kashmir? How many of the separatists would listen to his dictates is any body’s guess.
Only someone, who is unaware of the complexity of the Kashmir problem and the ground realities there, will begin talks with Mir Qasim and, now with Shabbir Shah.
The return of peace to the Valley depends largely on New Delhi finding a clearly-defined time-based agenda for a just resolution of the problem. The government must know what it wants and identify whom to involve in the negotiation. But solutions can only come when we talk. Attitudes should be positive and only positive thinking and acts yield positive results. India’s case is strong, so why should it shy away from talks.
The fate of the Valley had been decided, earlier, either at Amritsar or Simla that too without the participation of the Kashmiris. But now for the first time, the involvement of the Kashmiris as one of the parties, has been firmed up.
In this regard, the government’s green signal to All-Parties Hurriyat Conference delegation to have a dialogue with the separatists at the other side of the fence is indeed a bold step.
This in itself is a significant departure considering that, till very recently, the answer to the Kashmir problem was expected to be provided solely by either Delhi or Islamabad.
But again the credibility of government’s approval of talks with the Pakistan-based groups was somewhat undermined by its refusal later to grant passports to some of the members of the Hurriyat delegation to visit Muzaffarabad.
Though the government’s management of the peace process is flawed and hasty, the dialogue process with the Hurriyat and other Kashmiri representative parties could prove to be the beginning of a genuine political process on the Kashmir issue.
But the government must remember that Kashmiris will not go along with any sell-out by anybody. As for the Pakistan factor, it can be excluded from the talks for now. But at the same time, the government cannot impose a political accord which is not acceptable to the Hurriyat or which does not command confidence of the people at both side of the divide
Now it’s high time the government should act positively in a bid to stop the alienation of the Kashmiri people and amicably settle a festering issue to show the world that the nation is brave enough to take the steps necessary to bring about a just peace. This is the deep and universal yearning of the people of Kashmir world over.
