India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee spoke on wide-ranging subjects to Arab News’ Amir Taheri on Aug. 27. This is the concluding part.
Q: India routinely accuses Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorists who have waged a violent campaign in Kashmir and beyond. But the fundamentalists who are fighting India have also been recruited and trained in other countries, including Britain, Afghanistan and Yemen, to cite just three examples. These groups also have training camps in India itself notably in Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad, and Aligarh. Some of the groups that target India are also trying to seize power in Pakistan. Is there any possibility that India and Pakistan might join forces against what is, in effect, a common enemy?
A: I have no idea where you have got this information from. We do know that in addition to Pakistanis there are also terrorists of other nationalities indulging in violence in Jammu and Kashmir and also other parts of India. But these elements have been recruited by Pakistani agencies, trained in Pakistani camps, and enter India from Pakistani territory. That is why we are categorical about Pakistan’s role in sponsoring, aiding, training and funding terrorism in India. No group in India, and no training camp in Indian territory has ever posed the slightest threat to the security of Pakistan in any way. The battle against terrorism can be successfully fought only when civilized nations unite to fight it together. Pakistan can make a unique and useful contribution to this battle. From our point of view, Pakistan’s sincere efforts to join hands with India in fighting the menace of terrorism would certainly be a welcome development. It would be in everybody’s interest for Pakistan to come forward and join us in our fight against terrorism. But the evidence, so far, is not encouraging. Though infiltration of terrorists into India from Pakistan has declined in recent weeks, there remains in Pakistan a huge infrastructure supporting and sustaining terrorism, including communication centers, terrorist training camps, launching pads for infiltration, and funding for terrorist groups. The level of violence in Jammu and Kashmir remains unacceptably high. There are also clear indications, including in the Aug. 14 speech of President Musharraf, that Pakistan would make every effort to disrupt the forthcoming elections to the Legislative Assembly of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. For India and Pakistan to work together in the battle against terrorism, we would naturally expect that Pakistan must first give up its selective approach to terrorism. It cannot fight terrorism to its west and promote it to its east.
Q: Kashmir represents less than half of one percent of India’s population. And yet it consumes a disproportionate share of India’s defense resources. Are there any circumstances under which the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be allowed to take part in a referendum on self-determination?
A: Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India like all other princely states that acceded to India when British rule ended in 1947. The people of Jammu and Kashmir convened a Constituent Assembly in 1951, which once again reaffirmed the accession of their state to India. The state has held a number of democratic elections since then. Unfortunately, a part of the state was militarily occupied by Pakistan soon after our independence. Calls for referendum are based on ignorance of the historical developments and an imperfect understanding of present political and demographic realities.
Q: What is your ideal solution to the Kashmir problem? The officialization of the current partition among India, Pakistan and China? The reunification of the whole of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian rule? Or the perpetuation of the status quo?
A: I have already touched on the historic position regarding Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan must end its sponsorship of terrorism directed against India so that a dialogue can be resumed to resolve our differences on all matters, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Q: The (ultra right-wing Hindu nationalist organization) RSS is pressing for the so-called trifurcation option in Jammu and Kashmir. Some of its more militant members even want a constitutional change to make it possible for Hindus to alter Kashmir’s demographic reality. What is the position of your government on such suggestions?
A: The government of India has clearly stated its position on these questions. We are opposed to the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. We do not believe that it is a question of religion.
Q: Elections are to be held in Kashmir in October. Would the exercise not be more credible if you invited international inspectors, including, perhaps, from the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)?
A: As the largest democracy in the world, India has sufficient experience and expertise to hold free and fair elections. India also has independent institutions, including the Election Commission and a free press, which monitor the conduct of the elections anywhere in the country. India has conducted numerous elections in the past five decades and governments have changed through the ballot box at the center, the state, and local levels. Today, the Indian electorate exceeds 600 million, that is larger that the electorates in the United States and the European Union combined. We, therefore, do not need outsiders to certify the conduct of our democratic exercise. Nevertheless, we have clarified that there is no hindrance to any visitor going to Jammu and Kashmir, or for accredited diplomats, and members of the foreign media based in this country to travel to the state at any time. I have assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that if any mistakes have occurred in the past, we shall make amends. For this we shall talk to the elected representatives and organizations. Discussions will also take place on the demand for more powers to the state.
Q: You have said that India will accept no third party role in resolving the Kashmir crisis. And yet you have played host to a string of senior American officials, including the secretary of state and defense secretary. US officials have conducted a shuttle diplomacy between New Delhi and Islamabad. Washington has also proposed the satellite monitoring of the movement of armed groups across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. That looks very much like a third party playing a role....
A: Our position remains that there is no scope for a third party role in Jammu and Kashmir or in any bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. However, we are today part of an international coalition against international terrorism. There are ongoing international consultations and cooperation talks as part of this global effort. We have received in India a number of representatives of friendly countries, with whom these matters have been discussed in detail. We also have strong bilateral relations and wide-ranging bilateral cooperation with the United States and other countries. Many of these visits that you have mentioned also devoted considerable time to various subjects of our bilateral cooperation.
Q: Elections are also planned in Gujarat, the scene of recent Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence. The Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi shows no remorse and puts the blame exclusively on Muslims. How can he preside over free and fair elections, especially at a time that many Muslims have lost their identity papers or driven out of their villages and thus would be unable to vote?
A: I have repeatedly expressed my outrage over the recent communal violence in Gujarat. It was an unfortunate aberration in our national life. The resilience of the secular fabric of our Indian society was shown by the fact that the unfortunate incidents remained localized in Gujarat. But I would urge our friends abroad not to mix the issue of elections in Gujarat with the unfortunate happenings a few moths ago. The five-year term of the State’s Legislative Assembly is coming to an end. In a democracy, it is incumbent on us to hold fresh elections so that a new assembly may take over and lead the formation of a government of people’s choice. Irrespective of when the elections are held, our government is committed to continue with the efforts of rehabilitation of the victims of communal violence. Much work on this has already been carried out by the state government with support from the central government.
Q: Although we have already touched on India’s relations with the Muslim world, permit me to return to the subject. With almost 200 million Muslims, India is one of the top three “Muslim” countries in the world. Through much of the 20th century India was home to a number of major reform movements in Islam. Indian scholars and academic centers played a crucial role in finding, editing and publishing countless Islamic texts in Persian, Arabic and Urdu. Even in 1969 there were suggestions that India should attend the Islamic Conference summits as an observer. Since then, however, India has been cast in the role of an enemy of the Muslim world. Apart from the conflict over Kashmir, the incident over the Ayodhya mosque, the Gujarat killings, and the recently enacted anti-terrorism ordinance, which is seen as specifically anti-Muslim, have tarnished India’s image further. What would you do to correct that perception and make sure that India, thanks to its Muslim, minority, develops a privileged relationship with the Islamic world?
A: The suggestion that India’s relations with the Muslim world need some repair and adjustment is surprising. India is home to the second largest Muslim community in the world — larger than Pakistan and larger than the entire Muslim community in the Middle East. Here, Muslims participate with distinction in every field of human endeavor and in every part of our national life. India is a shining example of Islam flourishing in a secular, pluralistic society. Our legal system — unique in a secular, pluralistic system — recognizes the rights and customs of our Muslim citizens flowing from Islamic personal law. Our democratic system provides the fullest freedom for the members of the Muslim community to realize the full potential and for the flowering of studies related to Islamic thought and philosophy. A number of Indian universities have full-fledged departments of Islamic studies. At least 25 Indian universities have special departments for teaching the Arabic language and literature. Apart from the fact that India is home to a large number of ancient Islamic manuscripts in Persian, Turkish and Urdu, there is much original research on Islamic theology being done in the country today and published in reputable journals. It was in recognition of these factors that India was invited to the first summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference in Rabat in 1969. However, due to the opposition of one country, guess which one, we were not allowed to participate. It is a matter of great regret that a few countries have allowed the use of OIC as a platform to propagate one-sided and unbalanced views on the Kashmir issue and other matters concerning India. Notwithstanding this, as I have already said, we enjoy excellent bilateral relations with most OIC countries, based on mutually beneficial exchanges of goods, people, ideas and knowledge.
Q: The war against the Taleban in Afghanistan is over and a new government established in Kabul. There is now some concern that the United States might want to gain a permanent presence in Afghanistan. What is your advice to President George W. Bush. Shouldn’t Afghanistan regain its traditional historical function as a neutral buffer state?
A: We welcomed the emergency Loya Jirga and the establishment of a Transitional Government in Afghanistan headed by President Hamid Karzai. While the Taleban may have been dispersed, the war against them is by no means over. There is increasing evidence that Al-Qaeda and Taleban continue to regroup along the Pakistan-Afghanistan eastern and southeastern borders. The international community should not lose its focus on elimination of terrorist and extremist forces still present in our region. We do believe that a united, strong, independent, peaceful and stable Afghanistan, capable of defending itself against internal and external threats through intra-Afghan security structures, would help in the restoration of peace and stability in the region. The continuing internal focus and presence has some advantages at the moment in the effort to promote security, stability and reconstruction. However, the independent nature of the Afghan people is also a repeatedly established fact, and a long-term framework can only be provided by indigenous structures. If Afghanistan wishes to become a neutral state, India would support that wish.
Q: President Bush has declared Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an “Axis of Evil”. Do you agree with that definition? Would India support US military action to change the regime in Baghdad?
A: India is vitally interested in the peace and prosperity of the Gulf region and has, therefore, supported all efforts to defuse the crisis relating to Iraq. In that respect India supports the resumption of diplomatic efforts under the auspices of the United Nations.
Q: Your government has reportedly come under US pressure to establish closer relations with Israel. What is India’s position on the Palestinian issue?
A: India established diplomatic relations with Israel in April 1992. This was done at our own volition and we now have normal diplomatic relations. As I have already mentioned, India’s position on Palestine has been forthright, consistent and unchanged over the past five and a half decades. Our support for the Palestinian struggle remains a cardinal principle of our foreign policy and we consider President Yasser Arafat as the embodiment of that struggle. India has also provided, and continues to provide, economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in their hour of need.
Q: The forthcoming United Nations’ General Assembly will, once again, tackle the issue of defining terrorism and promoting an international treaty to combat it. As an active participant in the global war against terrorism, does India have any specific ideas on these issues?
A: As a victim of terrorism for over two decades India has, over the years, repeatedly urged the international community to give high priority to the fight against this menace. It is natural and appropriate that the forthcoming United Nations’ General Assembly should focus on this issue. The first anniversary of the Sept. 11 is a poignant reminder that the fight against terrorism is far from over. India strongly believes that there can be no justification for terrorist violence on political, ideological, religious or any other grounds. To effectively combat terrorism, we have to strengthen global cooperation, not only against the perpetrators of terrorist acts but also against those individuals, organizations and states that sponsor, train, shelter and fund the terrorists. India is supportive of all global efforts to combat terrorism. We are fully committed to implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 1373. India is also a signatory to all international conventions on terrorism. Well before Sept. 11, 2001, India had taken the initiative in the UN for a Comprehensive Convention Against International Terrorism. We shall continue to press for an early ratification of that convention.
Q: Some Indian and foreign observers of the New Delhi scene tell us that you might be thinking of retiring from politics. They claim that you are promoting L.K. Advani as a successor and trying to smooth his way to the top through his recent promotion as deputy premier. What are your comments on these suggestions?
A: All I can say is that these observers are totally off the mark. But speculation, gossip and conjecture are a part of the freedom of speech and expression in any vibrant democracy. You should be wary of rumors of which one finds plenty in every capital. All I can say is that I still have much work to do for my people.
Q: The BJP’s political fortunes appear rather low at present, largely because of its poor showing in last March’s state assembly elections. What would it take for your coalition to improve its chances of winning power for a fourth consecutive term in the next general elections?
A: In a multiparty democracy like ours, it is natural for every party to go through ups and downs in its popularity ratings. This is specially so because every year we have some states that go to the polls. So, I do not attach great significance to the outcome of the local elections in different states. India now has a stable government. Our democracy has matured with the success of our experiment of coalition governance. My government naturally aspires, after a good track record of governance, to present to our people on the basis of which we can seek a fresh mandate in the next general election.
Q: One last question, and may be the most important in a sense. You are an established poet and lover of poetry. Could you tell us who are the poets you read most?
A: Oh, there are many. But let me mention two: Our own poet Ghalib who wrote in Urdu and the Persian poet Rumi.
Thank you.
