After the ceasefire ended, a bomb blast killed innocents in Srinagar. The same dayprime minister Vajpayee told Parliament that India could talk with Pakistan even if itsgovernment was not democratic. The talks, he said, would have to be bilateral. Given itstiming, the PM's statement was worse than tragic. It was pathetic.
Hizbul boss Salahuddin said that the Kashmir dispute "could be either resolved byimplementation of the UN resolution or meaningful tripartite dialogue". By the termsof the UN resolution, all Pakistani troops would quit Kashmir. A reduced Indian forcewould replace them. China too would have to quit the territory ceded to it by Pakistan.After India restored peace, a plebiscite under UN supervision would be held. The people ofJ&K would then decide whether to opt for India or Pakistan.
Will Pakistan accept these conditions? If it does, India should welcome the UNresolution. If it doesn't, all talk about the UN resolution should end.
India need not talk with either Hizbul or Hurriyat. Both refused to talk withoutPakistan's participation. If India is to talk with Pakistan, it doesn't need thepresence of either. India can talk with Pakistan only when Islamabad ends terrorism.
Before blundering into negotiations, our government should make up its own mind aboutKashmir. It should be clear by now that Kashmir is not the real problem. The real problemis Pakistan. A few fanatics control it. They refuse to undo the spirit of the Partition.
Two solutions for Kashmir are being touted. First, the LoC is converted into aninternational border. Both sides of Kashmir become autonomous with a soft borderseparating them. Farooq Abdullah favours this solution. Second, Kashmir gets trifurcated.The Valley becomes independent. India and Pakistan jointly guarantee its independence. Thelate Sheikh Abdullah favoured this. Both solutions presuppose a special relationshipbetween India and Pakistan. But will Pakistan's fundamentalists, emboldened by China,ever allow this?
Possession of nuclear weapons by both nations rules out war. Diplomatic efforts forpeace have reached a dead-end. Cross-border terrorism will continue to bleed India. Whatshould India do?
Hot pursuit of intruders is futile. It will escalate into war. Though difficult, thereis a practical solution. But it can't be discussed in a newspaper column.
Our leaders have no cure,
Peace may not endure,
So don't bemoan fate
When it gets too late!
