October 26, 2010 8:58:29 PM
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Making a bad situation worse in J&K
It could be argued, as has been done by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, that the ‘interlocutors’ appointed by the Union Government to interact with various sections of society in Jammu & Kashmir have not erred by suggesting that Pakistan has a ‘role’ in the resolution of the festering problem in this State. After all, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, which includes the dispute over Jammu & Kashmir. Mr Singh has also taken particular interest in pursuing ‘back channel’ talks with the Pakistanis — this initiative, coupled with the Prime Minister’s penchant for ‘out-of-the-box thinking’, during Gen Pervez Musharraf’s rule had almost resulted in New Delhi conceding Islamabad’s demands; thankfully, a regime change in Pakistan interceded, scuttling the ‘settlement’. Given Pakistan’s insistence that “Kashmir was, is and shall remain the core issue” of any dialogue with India, and our pusillanimous Prime Minister’s timid acceptance of the terms set by those who torment this nation without the slightest trace of remorse, it would be absurd to suggest that Pakistan has no role in settling the discord in the Kashmir Valley. Let us not forget that the separatists and their foot soldiers are aided, abetted and funded by their masters in Pakistan, more specifically the ISI, and till such time this insidious assistance continues, the problem we face shall also continue to fester. Yet, the interlocutors’ pro-actively telling media that Pakistan has a role in defusing the crisis in the Kashmir Valley is unacceptable. This is primarily because of two reasons. First, tangling with foreign policy and external issues is not part of their declared remit. They are supposed to meet representatives of every section of society in the State, solicit their views, compile the various shades of opinion and present their report to the Union Government. Anything beyond that would be tantamount to overstepping their brief. Second, by stating that Pakistan has a role in Kashmir affairs, the interlocutors have only made their task that much more difficult. The separatists will gloat over the statement and treat the interlocutors with contempt — Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked people not to meet the UPA’s representatives as they count for nothing. The needless comment will also raise hackles in Jammu and Ladakh where people are opposed to the separatists and loathe Pakistan’s policy of promoting separatism and waging a proxy war through cross-border jihad as part of its smash-and-grab policy. Given the sensitivities in Jammu and Ladakh, such talk can denude the interlocutors of all credibility.
In any event, it is appalling that the UPA’s interlocutors should be more interested in promoting themselves by seeking media publicity rather than in going about their job quietly. The purpose behind appointing non-officials and non-politicians for this assignment was to keep the exercise a low profile affair, away from the glare of television cameras and media scrutiny. That objective has been defeated. This only underscores the point made by this newspaper in these columns earlier: The Union Government has chosen the wrong people for this job.
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