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| Track II or Bartering J&K -- III | | Enemy within more dangerous than Pakistan, China | |
STARK REALITY
RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 18: On February 14 & 15, the Centre for Dialogue and Re-conciliation arranged in New Delhi a discussion on the subject " Common Interests, Common Future: Dialogue Across the LoC.” The outcome of this meeting, which was participated in by the “track II” operatives from India, Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir, was no different. People talked about self-rule, autonomy, independence, demilitarization, open borders, alienation, need for the resolution of the so-called Kashmir problem and need for harmonizing Indo-Pak relations, all at the cost of India and Indian sovereignty. Everyone in conference emphasized the need to end the Kashmiri alienation and urged India to announce unilaterally concessions aimed at conciliating Pakistan.
Some of those who took part in the conference included former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Dr. Himayaun Khan; former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Aziz Ahmed Khan; Chairman, Minority Commission of India, Wajahat Habib-ullah; former Foreign Secretary of India, Salman Haider, NC leader and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, PDP president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Mehbooba Mufti and a few journalists, intellectuals, lawyers, academicians from the country and from across the border, all belonging to one school of thought. Jammu and Ladakh were conspicuous by their absence.
On December 15, a Delhi-based People’s Intervention Group, Janhastakshep, asked New Delhi to “settle the Kashmir issue immediately as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.” It asked New Delhi to hold “referendum” in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the state is a disputed territory. “Release all political prisoners. No leader of any movement should be kept under house arrest. Constitutional right of individuals should not be curbed. Both the State and Central governments must fulfill all legitimate and genuine demands of the people… Repeal AFSPA and other draconian laws…Withdraw army and paramilitary forces from Kashmir. Excesses committed by the army and paramilitary forces on the people of Kashmir be investigated and those responsible should be punished. Adequate compensation should be paid to the families who lost their members and those who suffered injuries…Democratic aspirations of the people of Kashmir must be addressed and the opinion of the people of entire J & K must be sorted out through referendum honoring the commitment to the people of the Kashmir by Indian State…State sponsored attacks on Hurriyat leaders must be stopped and cases registered against them be withdrawn,” the spokesman of the Janhastakshep told reporters.
He also disclosed: “Following unrest in Kashmir last summer, a fact-finding team of the group visited Valley on November 12, 2010 to assess the ground situation. The team comprised Prof Emeritus Amit Bhaduri, former diplomat (Mrs) Madhu Bhaduri, Supreme Court lawyer V.K Ohri, Prof N.Bhattacharya, Prof Ish Mishra, poet and former BBC producer Pankaj Singh and Jaspal Singh Sidhu, journalist. The team met a cross section of people in northern and southern parts of the valley. It was amazing that the so-called fact finding group completed the job in no time, diagnosed what ails Kashmir and put forth suggestions, which, according to the Hastakshep, would resolve the “Kashmir problem.”
But these are only four of the several such “track II” meetings, which took place during the past two months or so. These do not include that fact-finding mission that was headed by Ram Vilas Paswan and consisted of Shoaib Iqbal of LJP, Gopal Choudary of CPI-M, D Raja of CPI, Namo Nageshwar Rao of Telgu Desham Party, Danish Ali of Janata Dal (Secular), Maheshwar Hazari of Janata Dal (United), Shahid Siddiqui of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD), film maker Mahesh Bhatt, journalist Seema Mustafa and “academician” Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy. They visited reached Kashmir on December 3, stayed there for three days, met with chairmen Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Geelani, Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah and others of their ilk and on January 2, among other things, suggested: “Honest dialogue”; withdrawal of “draconian” AFSPA; generation of employment opportunities, withdrawal of Army because it “has become face of India State for Kashmiris”; and grant of autonomy.
This is the position. It is these Indian “track II” operatives who roam about as trouble-shooters, peaceniks, human rights activists, conflict managers and advocate the cause of Pakistan and its agents in Kashmir. They do not recognize the fact that certain communal elements in Kashmir and their mentor Pakistan have ganged up against India with a view to breaking it. Nor do they think it advisable to comment on the circumstances leading to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir, as also to take into consideration the aspirations and needs of the people of Jammu and Ladakh.
It is important to note that while the track II operatives from Pakistan advocate the Pakistani line everywhere they go and demand settlement of the so-called Kashmir dispute, those from India also sing the Pakistani son, attack India and the Indian institutions and demand major, major concessions for Kashmir, all designed to drive the state away from India. So much so that they criticize the people of Jammu, saying they do not allow the Kashmiri separatists to propagate their separatist and communal ideology in this province.
Who, then, is more dangerous? Obviously, the enemy within. (Concluded)
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