Kashmir and politics of statements by Mkir Tariq Rasool

When presidents, prime ministers, chairmen and secretary generals all over globe
make pointed statements over Kashmir they never mean what they say. Kashmir only
provides them a tool using which they score points over their adversaries,
cautions Mir Tariq Rasool

In the midst of statements by international leaders, the enthusiasm of people here

in Kashmir gets intensified. Whenever any ‘conscientious leader’ here in India,
Pakistan or in any other part of world makes any statement regarding the
resolution of long awaiting Kashmir issue, people here in strife torn Kashmir
start expecting big things without going deep into the reality of things.

Our ‘sympathizers’ in India or Pakistan or elsewhere in the world have proved

themselves as prevaricated rhetoricians rather than problem solvers, for which
Kashmiris are waiting from decades. After 9/11, huge statements came from the
leaders all over the globe, especially from America, Pakistan and India, who time
to time make such interested and attractive statements that the people here in
Kashmir feel that the issue was now heading to its ultimate settlement. Kashmiris
should know that every utterance regarding the Kashmir from outside the world has
nothing to do with the settlement of Kashmir issue, these statement are being
crafted out to get political, ideological or tactical mileage. One should know
that the Jammu and Kashmir has an immense importance in Indian as well as
Pakistani politics as the countries like America, Russia and China are politically
making use of Kashmir issue to fulfil their strategic goals at international
level.
On both sides (Indo-Pak), there are strong vested interests that are busy in not
normalizing the relations. Both the countries have a political compulsion, which
halts the settlement of Kashmir issue. While addressing the Kashmir issue in
relation with indo-Pak an Indian author and social activist Arundhati Roy, known
for her radical political stances, on 14 August 2003 in Pakistan said that …..Both
Indian and Pakistani governments used the Kashmir issue to deflect attention from
domestic concerns. "When we talk about the indo-Pakistan Kashmir problem, we are
assuming they are problems, we are assuming they are problems and that people are
searching for solution', she said.
"I don't think this is the case. I think that for the governments of both Pakistan
and India, Kashmir is the solution –it is the rabbit they pull of the hat every
time they face domestic problems”.
People, including pro-freedom leaders, here in Jammu and Kashmir should act
realistically and should approach realistically the statements made by leaders in
Indian Sub-continent or elsewhere in the world regarding the Kashmir issue.
Kashmir is the rabbit and it will remain so until people in Indo-Pak, especially
Jammu and Kashmir grow mature enough to see that it is the rabbit.
Leaders from both India and Pakistan have always taken recourse to rhetoric from
early times. On January 13, 2002 in a televised address to the Pakistani nation
ex-president of Pakistan General Pervaiz Mushraf said "As the president of
Pakistan, I want to convey a message to Prime Minister Vajpayee: If we want to
normalize relations between Pakistan and India and bring harmony to the region,
the Kashmir dispute will have to be resolved peacefully through a dialogue on the
basis of the aspirations of the Kashmiri people”. Different from earlier
statement, On 21 May 2005, Pervaiz Mushrraf, while addressing South Asian
Parliamentary Forum in Islamabad said that the resolution of the long-standing
Kashmir dispute could not be awaited indefinitely, to identify a region, allow
maximum self-governance to the people, de-militarize and take some actions to make
borders irrelevant. In his statement he further says that he is confident that a
solution could be reached at on Kashmir that satisfied India, Pakistan and people
of Kashmir. He said, "A solution has to be found from within the stand of India's
insistence of no re-drawing of borders, Pakistan' stand of LOC cannot be a
permanent border and boundaries becoming irrelevant”.
The Prime Minister India, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, known for his personal
mission to improve relations with Pakistan, always stressed bilateral negotiations
to solve the Kashmir issue. On May 29 2003, Vajpayee while addressing the Kashmir
issue said that the resolution of the Kashmir problem would require "serious
compromises", and he is prepared to negotiate with Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf. On the same day in an interview with widely circulated German daily Der
Spiegel, he said that he will "retire" if his third and last peace initiative with
Pakistan fails. In October 2003 Russian president Vladimir Putin says that he will
take up Kashmir issue with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. After the
end of 10th OIC meet Mr. Putin said: "We have discussed the situation in Kashmir
and now I have better information to relate on behalf of President Musharraf to
our Indian colleague." OIC, an international organization of Islamic Countries,
while addressing Kashmir issue supported Kashmiris' right to self-determination
and urged India to allow its delegation to inspect situation in occupied Kashmir
during the 10th Summit in 2003.
In the last fifty years, the United States has applied different labels to the
Kashmir issue from 'self- determination' to 'aspiration of the Kashmiri people' to
being 'a nuclear flash-point' endangering international security'. The constantly
changing stand of the United States is reflective of the fact that the United
States stand on the Kashmir issue is flexible and dependent on two factors at a
given point in time: (1) Tenor of India-United States relations and; (2) The
strategic utility of Pakistan for any intended United States strategic moves in
South West Asia. Kashmir or the Kashmir issue, therefore is of no concern to the
United States, but only an expedient strategic tool for the region.
I remember the day May 18, 2008 when US President George Bush during an hour-long
meeting with Pak Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. said that "Kashmir issue
is ripe for solution" and he saw major and significant developments in Pakistan-
India relations. The President in his statement said that he was happy to note
that the two sides had made a lot of progress in their talks on Kashmir and for
comprehensive peace in the region.
As a co-chairman of PPP, in a major shift in Pakistan's long-standing position,
Asif Ali Zardari, whose party was set to take reins of the country on those days,
expressed that he is ready to set aside the Kashmir issue in order to focus on
other aspects for improving relations with India. He emphasized that the relations
between India and Pakistan should not be held 'hostage' to the Kashmir issue and
that the two countries 'can wait' for future generations to resolve the dispute in
a mature manner in an atmosphere of 'trust'. Zardiari's statement was a shock to
Kashmir as he was set to take reins of the Pakistan and Kashmiris always see
Pakistani rulers as their well-wishers, whether they are actually the same is
debatable. Now when Asif Ali Zardairi becomes President of Pakistan, he makes a
statement totally different from his earlier statement, immediately after the
statement of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed a militant ideologue who is the founder of the
Lashker-e-Toiba and heads the Jamiat-ud-Dawah in which he said that Pakistan will
be in “great trouble” if newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari does not make
changes in the policies of his predecessor Pervez Musharraf, which have "derailed
the Kashmir issue". Kashmir issue has been confined to rhetoric by "conscientious
leadership" both in India and Pakistan. Thousands of statements have been issued
regarding the settlement of Kashmir Issue without nay outcome. Recently Zardari
maintained this tradition of rhetoric by saying that "Insha Allah, we will have
some good news" on Kashmir before the general elections in India. In this age old
fashion of prevaricated rhetoric Kashmiri should not expect big things from their
" sympathizers" instead should continue the ongoing movement without being
influenced by the statements crafted out to get political or tactical benefits.

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