The appointment of a former senior official of the Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma as the governments interlocutor in J&K is a welcome step. Any serious talks with all relevant parties have to be conducted out of public view, in much the same manner as the negotiations between interlocutors G Parthasarathi and Mirza Afzal Beg were conducted, which led to the return of Sheikh Abdullah to the political mainstream. People with patience and given to discretion are best suited to conduct such negotiations, on sensitiveissues of national unity and security. Appointing a savvy intelligence professional is a far better choice than having publicity seeking journalists, loquacious politicians and self-righteous human rights activists roam around the Kashmir valley, while talking loosely to the media.
People with patience and given to discretion are best suited to conduct such negotiations, on sensitive issues of national unity and security. Appointing a savvy intelligence professional is a far better choice than having publicity seeking journalists, loquacious politicians and self-righteous human rights activists roam around the Kashmir valley, while talking loosely to the media.
One major factor has to be borne in mind in any political exercise in J&K. It has to be made clear that New Delhi has an equal interest in the aspirations of people in all three regions: Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. This process is being initiated at a time, which is internationally propitious. The US and its western allies are fed up of Pakistan sponsored terrorism. The US has declared the only indigenous Kashmiri terrorist group, the Hizb ul Mujahideen and its leader Syed Salahuddin as terrorists. With Russian backing, India has got even China to name the Lashkar e Taiba and the Jaish e Mohammed as terrorist organizations. Finally,despite all the raving and ranting of Pakistans loquacious Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi and the Pakistani PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the UN, there were no takers for Pakistani rhetoric.
The Modi government has been under criticism domestically, for its refusal to go by the advice of our dialogue at all costs advocates, who would like it to commence unconditional talks with the separatists. There is no dearth of information that the leadership of the 14 Party Hurriyat Conference has acted as agents of Pakistan, with its two major factions, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farookh and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, constantly fomenting unrest in the valley. A member of the Hizb ul Mujahideen assassinated Mirwaiz Umars father, Mirwaiz Mohammed Farookh, in 1994. Mirwaiz Umar, who incites mobs against India and the security forces after virtually every Friday prayer, has not raised his voice against those who killed his father. While it is for the interlocutor to work out modalities for taks with the Hurriyat leadership, under no circumstance should New Delhi relent on moves to prosecute separatist leaders for activities like money laundering of funds received from Pakistan.
Security forces eliminated Burhan Wani last year. His successor Sabzar Ahmad Bhatt met the same fate earlier this year. While there is sympathy in the Valley for young Kashmiris killed in encounters with security forces, there is growing recognition that violence is not the way forward. Crowd control measures are becoming more sophisticated. It appears a question of time before the South Kashmir jihad is weakened significantly and Pakistan is forced to again rely on its Punjabi Jihadis. With winter snows approaching and mountain passes closing, India will have to be prepared for enhanced infiltration when the winter snows melt in 2018.
These developments give us time to devise new and imaginative measures to deal with emerging challenges.It is obvious that the interlocutor will have a hard time formulating measures to convince people and political parties in J&K that while borders cannot and will not be changed, New Delhi will simultaneously strive to meet the aspirations of people in all three regions of J&K. The interlocutor and the Mehbooba Mufti government must be assisted in getting public support to shift the narrative and discourse in Kashmir, from stone pelting and violence, to reconciliation, education and economic development.
The Article First Appeared In Economic Times
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