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| Pakistan playing politics against Kashmiris | | J&K needs electricity without Islamabad's opposition | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, DEC. 2
Pakistan's two topmost constitutional personalities--President, Gen. Parvez Musharraf, and Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz--have once again reaffirmed Islamabad's resolve to be behind Kashmiri people. The good old assurance of Pakistan's continued political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris has been reiterated by the two personalities.
Ironically, this support does not apply to the development projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Specifically, these projects are Wullar barrage or Tulbul navigation project in Kashmir Valley and people-friendly two power generating projects in Jammu region, which, Pakistan knows, is also inhabited by lakhs of Muslims. As many as 13 secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan on Wullar barrage or Tulbul navigation project have already been held.
The dispute began in 1984 after India decided to build a barrage on the Jhelum river in Kashmir. Pakistan's charge against India: Delhi's decision was taken without informing Pakistan, as required by the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. With India and Pakistan refusing to budge from their stated positions on the issue, the talks fell victim to the inflexibility of both sides.
As usual, afterwards both sides came out with the statements that there were "very useful discussions" and that there would hopefully be progress in the next round. The Indian side said that the dispute would be resolved when there was a "complete understanding between the two sides". One wonders when, if ever, that will happen. According to a Pakistani newspaper report, Pakistan does not want India to build the barrage at all and it is quite probable that this is not acceptable to Delhi.
Of late, negotiations on what one would have thought less contentious issues such as Siachen and Sir Creek also failed to make any headway. As far as the talks on Siachen or Wullar barrage are concerned, neither side seems to be willing to show any flexibility. If this is going to be the case in future, then both India and Pakistan could have countless rounds of talks but not much headway is going to be made.
And the sufferers will be the ordinary people of India and Pakistan. Both sides need to give an impetus to the slow-moving peace process. This will only happen when they approach and confront all complex issues between them with the resolve to settling them as early as possible.
A change of heart and mind is in order. Some confidence-building measures have been taken - most of them relating to enhancing road and rail links between the two countries - but India, Islamabad insists, should be willing to broach the Kashmir dispute and talk it out with Pakistan with the aim of finding a solution that is acceptable to all the parties, including those living on both sides of the Line of Control.
That is also necessary because a major chunk of the resources and funds of both India and Pakistan is spent on upgrading their armies and buying new sophisticated weapons - all this while millions of malnourished Indians and Pakistanis live a life of abject poverty and deprivation. |
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