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| Kashmir -- a way forward | | Kathwari Formula And Its Implications | | Rustam
Jammu, Jan 14: Farooq Kathwari asserts that his "proposal is probably best conceived of as an 'interim settlement' (possibly for 15-20 years), which could be subject to subsequent approval or adjustment". His formulation clearly suggests three things. One is that it is for breaking the status quo. The other is that it keeps the option open for a settlement that would completely de-link Jammu and Kashmir from India. The third is that it is lop-sided and biased in favour of Pakistan and the Kashmiri secessionists and communalists whose only objective is to dismember India and introduce in the state a system that would look after and cater to the needs of Pakistan, both economic and strategic, and help the fundamentalist forces to Talibanize the state polity and society. This is not acceptable because this negates the very idea of India as an independent, sovereign, democratic and secular state and gives dangerous legitimacy to the politics of separation, based on fanaticism.
This proposal of Kathwari suggests one more thing. It suggests that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan with the Muslims of Kashmir the principal party to the so-called Kashmir dispute. No one would accept this. Jammu and Kashmir is not a disputed territory like South Tyrole, Aaland Islands, Trieste, Ireland, to mention only a few, considered disputed territories in Europe. Jammu and Kashmir became an integral part of India under the Indian Independence Act of 1947, under which Pakistan also came into being. The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir alone had the constitutional power to take a final decision on the political future of his state and he took the decision in favour of India. No one can now reopen the case as the accession is final, irrevocable and as per the law on the subject. Besides, an overwhelming population on the state is against those who wish to reopen the settled issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir - A Way Forward seeks to convey an impression that this new proposal of Kathwari, if accepted and implemented, would satisfy the peoples of Kashmir, India and Pakistan. Yes, it would surely satisfy to a considerable extent Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership in the sense that it would be a step short of the state's separation from India. The implementation of this proposal would enable Pakistan and the Kashmiri separatists to achieve their ultimate goal: The state's complete separation from India. As far as India is concerned, the acceptance of this proposal would not only mean the negation of all that the Indian nation and the Army did during all these years to integrate the state into India but also mean the emergence of a situation that would further strengthen and promote fissiparous tendencies in certain parts of the country. There are elements in India who have been working in tandem with Islamabad and other hostile countries, including China.
Kathwari says his proposal would "end strife" in the state and South Asia. This is not true. The acceptance of the proposal, on the contrary, would provoke explosions in Jammu province and Ladakh as well as other parts of the country where the people hate and abhor the idea of Jammu and Kashmir being made independent or made part of theocratic and oppressive Pakistan. The entire nation, barring the votaries of two-nation theory, is for the unity and integrity of India and for a pro-active approach towards Pakistan and the Kashmiri separatists. There should be no doubt about it. And, why the way, who in India is afraid of Pakistan? No Indian is afraid of Pakistan and its nuclear power. The Indian State may be weak, but the Indian nation is not. The Indian nation is very strong. It is more than capable of holding its own against any power.
What is the bottom-line? The bottom-line is that the Kathwari proposal is utterly unacceptable. It needs to be discarded with the contempt it deserves. The Indian nation will not give any concession either to Pakistan or to the Kashmiri separatists. This is a reality. The sooner the likes of Kathwari recognize it the better. (Concluded) |
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