The Valley livens up

The Valley livens up

I
f normalcy is understood as pas-
sivity and calm then one might
say there is no semblance of
normalcy in the militancy-hit
state of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, if the state is today witnes...read more...

A Tale of Three Visits

STATE CRAFT BY HAPPYMON JACOB
Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Pakistan last week was a much needed one and should have been made much earlier. The high profile visit was badly timed and the visiting foreign minister was caught in the midst of Pakistan’s internal political uncertainty and didn’t know who he should talk to or rather who all he should talk to. The content, the format and the outcome of the meetings were modest but, one should admit, it was impossible to expect more radical outcomes under the political circumstances prevailing in Islamabad. The visit ended with both the countries signing an agreement to grant consular access to prisoners from either country held across the border. The other positive outcome of the visit was Pakistan’s statement that it wants to have a ‘grand reconciliation’ with India through dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues “with self-respect and dignity.” While the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who coined the term ‘grand reconciliation’ did not explain what it meant, this is one way of telling that India-Pakistan relations will not be held hostage to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and that there needs to be a comprehensive approach to peaceful existence between the two countries – piecemeal approaches to peace are not desirable and would not work. The emphasis on “with self-respect and dignity” is also significant here as Pakistan is clearly hinting that a zero-sum end to conflicts between the two countries is unacceptable to Pakistan – it is not enough that conflicts should end but that Pakistan can not be seen as having lost out on its claims and interests. It is in this context that the Indian policy makers and security ‘think tanks’ have to keep in mind the fact that India can not make sustainable peace in the subcontinent by defeating Pakistan: peace between the two countries can only be sustainable by accommodating each other. The much talked about Iran-Pakistan-India ‘peace pipeline’ also found reference in the Pakistan Prime Minister’s statement wherein he suggested that two countries are committed to take it forward. The importance of the visit has to be seen in the context of the recent statements by Pakistan on Kashmir and the increase in cross border infiltration and the bomb attacks in Jaipur. If India were to respond to Pakistan Prime Minister’s statement that whatever has been achieved by Manmohan Singh and Musharraf for J&K is “half-baked”, the talks would have failed and the peace process stalled. In other words, India could have sounded jingoistic and lost the peace process. Fortunately, better sense prevailed and the peace process is safe. One only hopes that the peace process goes ahead full steam and regains its lost momentum as and when political certainty returns to Pakistan.

Presidential visit to Kashmir

President Pratibha Patil’s five day visit to Kashmir, still in the process as I write this, and concluded by the time it appears in print, has already attracted a lot of criticism though not for any political reasons. The President has been criticized for brandishing an AK-47 - apparently captured by the troops from the militants – which critics find aggressive, amusing and not befitting the stature of the President in a conflict ridden state. That said, the visit is to be seen as part of New Delhi’s attempts to give increased political attention to J&K and the state’s problems. The president has claimed that “New Delhi and State governments are making all efforts to put Jammu and Kashmir on the fast track of development and progress”. One doesn’t distrust that. New Delhi is arguably giving more attention to the state of Jammu and Kashmir than any other state in the federation: no arguments with that. But there seems to be an apparent lack of well thought-out political strategies and policies for the state. The economic and developmental measures, well-meaning they may be, lack a consistent and logical political vision for the state. In other words, New Delhi’s Kashmir policies seem to be designed and executed in ‘fits and starts’ with no grand vision for political reconciliation behind it. More importantly, wise statecraft demands that if you do something, you should be seen as doing it with commitment and a vision behind it.

Concert for Peace

The third important visit of the week was by the Pakistani Junoon rock band to Kashmir. The famous Pakistani band came to the Dal Lake with a message – a message of peace, reconciliation and change. Cultural CBMs like this is will go a long way in bringing peace not just to Kashmir but to the two countries as well. Junoon’s lead singer Salman Ahmad’s words to an excited audience on the banks of the Dal Lake were symbolic of the changing times and moods of the common man in the state: “We are all one. Beware of the people who divide”. How long will the two countries be able to resist and discard the surge of emotions that the bonds of culture, music and films can evoke in the minds of ordinary citizens in the two countries? The two governments can not stop this spontaneous outpouring of emotions by the people who they represent. The earlier we realize this the better it is for our countries and our societies.

(Source: Greater Kashmir, May 28. URL: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=28_5_2008&ItemID=30&cat=11 )