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| Mr Noorani, J&K neither South Tyrol nor Aaland Islands | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
RUSTAM
JAMMU, Mar 21 : Sympathizers of Kashmiri separatists are equating J&K with South Tyrol and Aaland Islands and asking New Delhi to accept the Musharraf’s formula in order to resolve the “Kashmir problem.” One such sympathizer is A G Noorani, who is also an ardent supporter of Pakistan and China and who has been seeking to dismember India since the early 50s. He is a Mumbai-based lawyer and commentator.
Noorani says, “ The autonomy status of South Tyrol provides for election of the region’s president and vice-president from among its own members, with a member each of the Italian and German language groups to serve rotationally in both posts. The President of Italy cannot veto their elections. It is a good model for J&K. Another is the accord of June 27,1921, between Sweden and Finland on autonomy for the Aaland Islands. The governor is appointed by agreement between the President of Finland and the Aaland’s legislature. If they differ, the legislature recommends a panel of five for Finland’s President to choose them. In 2006, India could afford to discard the phobias of 1952-53” and accept the Musharraf’s formula.
What does the former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s formula envisage? 1. First, “Identify the geographic regions of Kashmir (read J&K) that needs resolution.” At present the Pakistani part is divided into two regions: Gilgit-Baltistan or Northern Areas and the so-called Azad Kashmir. The Indian part is divided into three regions: Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. 2. Second, “demilitarize the identified region or regions and curb all militant aspects of the struggle for freedom. This will give comfort to the Kashmiris, who are fed with the fighting and killing on both sides.” 3. Third, “introduce self-governance or self-rule in the identified region or regions. Let the Kashmiris have the satisfaction of running their own affairs without having an international character and remaining short of independence.” 4. Fourth, “have a joint management mechanism with a membership consisting of Pakistanis, Indians and Kashmiris overseeing self-governance and dealing with residual subjects common to all identified regions and those subjects that are beyond the scope of self-governance.”
Noorani also says, “Jammu’s concerns must be met. Under the ‘regional formula’ of Punjab in 1965, two regional committees of the assembly were set up comprising MLAs of the Punjabi and Hindi speaking regions. Each enjoyed a virtual veto on 14 specified topics dealing with social and economic development.”
He doesn’t stop here and goes on to say, “J&K’s future set-up must be devised jointly by India and Pakistan as part of a wider accord on he future of the state and in full consultation with the people. ”
Can we place J&K at par with the Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea and South Tyrol? Surly not. J&K became an integral part of India on October 26, 1947, when its ruler Hari Singh, who alone had the authority in terms of constitutional law to determine the political future of his state, took a decision to that effect. The most striking aspects of the whole situation were the unstinted support of an overwhelming majority of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in favour of the Hari Singh’s decision, and highly spectacular contribution the Kashmiri Muslims enthusiastically made to the defence of the state against what may be legitimately termed as a regular war by the Pakistani “irregulars” waged on August 22, 1947, in order to annex J&K. (The Pakistani force, which entered Kashmir on October 22, consisted of “regular troops in disguise,” Afridis from North Western Frontier Province, Mahsuds and others and was led by army officers. Pakistan admitted it a little later. Our so-called intellectuals, who masquerade as trouble-shooters, generally overlook this aspect). (To be continued)
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