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| Ghulam Nabi Fai blames Geelani for sabotaging Musharraf's 4-point proposal on Kashmir | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 6: From Wadwan village in Budgam district to Washington Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai has been in the forefront of those who have been campaigning for settlement of the Kashmir issue. He is one among many who are opposed to war between India and Pakistan and has suggested to New Delhi and Islamabad to stop nursing any ambition of using nuclear weapons against each other which could mean destruction and devastation for both the sides.
In his latest sermon Fai wants India and Pakistan to involve people of Kashmir in the talks for the settlement of the Kashmir issue. In this context he has referred to the four-point proposal mooted by Gen. Parvez Musharraf, when he was the military ruler of Pakistan.
Fai writes "As we know it now, the plan proposed by President Musharraf was as follows: i). Identifying the geographical regions of Kashmir; ii). Demilitarizing the whole of Jammu and Kashmir; iii). Introducing self-governance; and iv). Joint management mechanism consisting of Indians, Pakistanis and Kashmiris.
Fai explains why and what of the agreement. So what has happened since? Why did this agreement fall apart? President Musharraf who wanted to sell it to the people of Kashmir failed to do that. He said later in an interview that Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani did not endorse his four-point formula. In other words, the history makes it clear that if an agreement is reached between India and Pakistan without the participation of the Kashmiri leadership, it is bound to fail. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to Musharraf's 4-point formula.
Well it seems that Fai is trying to give credit or blame to Syed Ali Shah Geelani for having sabotaged the 4-point proposal on Kashmir that was mooted by Gen. Musharraf. This is simply a one-sides story. The moment Musharraf dished out his 4-point proposal on Kashmir New Delhi had immediately reacted by rejecting it saying it was not acceptable for India.
Fai as US citizen of Kashmiri origin goes philosophical when he talks about the growing conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad. He says. "There is something very high schoolish and unsophisticated about the barbs and threats being traded between Pakistan and India, where fully grown men given the responsibility to manage nations shout at one another like two boys in a park squabbling over some Barbie Doll standing on the sidelines, who invariably has a look of disgust on her face. Think Kashmir. Yes, there have been two wars between the two over Kashmir, but too much is at stake. The statesmanship dictates that neither of these two countries should go to war, not nuclear war, because that might prove devastating to both countries. But they've got to beat their chests , behaving as though they've got something to prove.
Meanwhile, the cost of doing nothing about what stands between them continues to rise, and it isn't pocket change. Someone pays for all this. The crossfire disputes at the Ceasefire Line are paid for in lives and infrastructure of the people of Kashmir caught in the middle who live along the disputed border. So far so good. But Fai is unable to conceal his anger against Narendra Modi as he too like his Kashmiri politicians believe that Modi was determined to abrogate Article 370 that grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Given the current state of crises-based relations between India and Pakistan, it's very difficult if not impossible to initiate diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions without addressing the Kashmir dispute. There was a glimmer of hope when a meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place during the latter's swearing in ceremony in New Delhi. But rational diplomacy has been a major casualty of events since. Violations of the Ceasefire Line have occurred almost unabated during this past summer, and the Modi plan now is clearly one of unilaterally making efforts through elections in Kashmir to enable the BJP to seize control of the Assembly, abrogate Article 370 which gives semi-autonomous status to Kashmir, and fully integrate Kashmir into India.
This way Fai like some of the Kashmir valley centric politicians treat Modi as an effective leader who could reverse the special status that Jammu and Kashmir has been enjoying during the last over 60 years. Fai does not want to blame the National Conference or the Congress for having initiated steps which caused erosion in the original spirit of Article 370 by way of extension of scores of central laws to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
And Fai would be one among those leaders from the Congress, NC and the PDP who would be very unhappy if the BJP is able to achieve its +44 mission.
One would have expected Fai to comment on the high polling percentage that was witnessed in the recent Assembly election. He seems to have opted for silence. Yes in one of his write-ups Fai has cited Jayaprakash Narayan while claiming that elections have never been free in Jammu and Kashmir. He says "Whatever the (Indian) Government spokesman might have said before, or may say now, there has never been a free and fair election in the State of Jammu and Kashmir." Jayaprakash Narayan, 'India's Conscience-Keeper.'
Fai goes on to add :"Hope and change the Modi way seems to have taken in the majority of India's voters since he was elected in May, 2014 but his message to the flood-ravaged people of Kashmir has so far been less than palatable. History has proven that candidates in the Himalayas are tall on promises but short on results, and the elections are invariably engineered to suit the status quo. This time is expected to be no different.
Here again he is wrong. While dilating on poll irregularities he has simply referred to elections held in 1951, 1957 and 1987 in which there were some malpractices. But he should have referred to several other elections including 1977, 1983, 1996, 2002 and 2008 which have been largely free and fair. Hence he should not draw conclusions even when only two phases of the poll process have been completed and polling in both the phases remained incident free, fair and free.
Will Fai dish out a sermon on militants and those Pak agencies that have been triggering violence and the Friday incident in which 21 people,including 11 security personnel,were killed in separate attacks deserve to be condemned by Fai. |
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