Kashmir Sentinel: April 1st--May 31st, 2001

Pakistan Periscope

Another Offer

The talks India proposes to hold with Mujahid leaders in Kashmir "very soon", according to Indian Home Minister LK Advani, might as well not beheld because the conditions set for the talks will defeat their purpose. His disclosure that India has decided "who will hold talks and how to proceed with it. But peace talks will proceed with groups in India" is puzzling as it is not clear whether the talks will deal with issue the Kashmiris favour. Such an exercise will serve no purpose other than to keep up appearances of a dialogue underway in held Jammu and Kashmir. His corollary that "We do not propose at the moment to hold talks with Pakistan" further adds to the futility of the talks.

In any case, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) had earlier made it clear that it will not enter into any dialogue with India until its leaders were allowed to visit Pakistan, has made the idea of talks redundant. The visit to Pakistan, which was initially approved ran into difficulties when Delhi selected the team it will allow to go to Pakistan, excluding a leader whom it described as a "hardliner". This was unacceptable to the APHC leaders who had already named their five member delegation, and the whole programme was ultimately shelved. Advani's talks offer comes against the backdrop of this situation and probably was designed to exploit the position adopted by the APHC. The selection of a senior Indian bureaucrat to lead the Indian side to the "talks" is merely meant to show that India is all set to initiate a serious dialogue in Kashmir and its the APHC which is dragging its feet.

Another reason for the Indian minister's announcement is to further a covert division in the APHC leadership. Differences have erupted among the leaders on several issues, but till now their debate has remained low key and within manageable limits. Efforts are being made to resolve the contradictions and maintain the unity that has withstood all Indian threats. APHC's announcement suggests that its leadership remains firm on the position it has already adopted on the visit to Pakistan.

United States, which at present strongly supports the idea of talks between the Kashmiris and India, should understand India's gameplan. Delhi's repeated offer of talks should not be seen to mean that the invitation is sincerely meant and that it is the Kashmiris who are placing obstacles in the way of the dialogue. India has a poor record of fulfilling the promises and it is not expected that the talks it proposes to hold will go beyond the opening stage if at all these are held. Washington would do well to press for talks between India and Pakistan if it wants to ensure peace in the region.

--Editor in Jung