Obama’s Kashmir passion
Ehsan Mehmood Khan
Obama’s statement on resolution of Kashmir issue has gone down the veins
of Indian political edifice as a shockwave. Immediate Indian rejoinder
has transpired in sending out an All-Parties Delegation to the United
States of America to brief Obama’s aides on Kashmir and
confidence-building measures between Pakistan and India. The delegation
was pre-planned but earlier it was deputed to participate in the
meetings of a United Nations Committee in New York. With new development
on cards, the delegation has also been assigned to pre-empt anything by
Obama and his administration beyond the statement.
With their age-old rhetoric on bilateralism and heedless to any third
voice, however sane, the Indian polity had never expected such a loud
word from the President-elect of the Unites States. In last about four
decades, they have been successful in deterring the third party
involvement in Pak-India affairs especially Kashmir. Given the law and
order situation prevailing in the north-western part of Pakistan and
American rhetoric on suspected presence of Al-Qaeda high-ups in FATA,
India had expected nothing from Obama save for unswerving
politico-military pressure on Pakistan. At any rate, they had not
anticipated something that could favour Pakistan as against India in
anyway.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Obama had conjectured “…we also have
to make the case that the biggest threat to Pakistan now is not India
which has been the historical enemy. It is actually militants within
their borders.”
One would tend to agree with him but only if he makes such a case
wherein he succeeds in removing the globally-known bone of contention
between Pakistan and India, and in effect, the entire world would
succeed! Obama articulated in another interview that he would “support
the ongoing Pak-India efforts to resolve the Kashmir problem to address
the political roots of arms race between Pakistan and India.” Obama’s
statements on Pak-India affairs particularly with regard to Kashmir have
lit a beam of hope round the world that he would put in sustained
efforts to set a full stop before the age-old disputes like that of
Kashmir.
It goes without saying that the world leadership is well-versed with the
dynamics of Kashmir. They may or may not speak but are fully aware of
the role of Kashmir in perpetual warlike situation in South Asia for
last over six decades. They also know the potential danger of escalation
of discord and friction between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
So is Obama too! Nonetheless, Obama is not first in line to long for
resolution of the issue of Kashmir. Even his Republican predecessor
George Bush pronounced in February 2008 that “the US supports any
solution of Kashmir, which is acceptable to India, Pakistan and the
people of Kashmir.” Flashing back in timeline, Sir Owen Dixon, the UN
envoy on Kashmir, had made creditable effort to resolve the issue right
in the bud but to no avail, courtesy the Indian inflexibility. Later,
the US President, John F. Kennedy, had put in wholehearted efforts to
seek an acceptable-by-all solution in early 1960s but remained short of
success, thanks to Indian obduracy.
Above notwithstanding, Obama seems optimistic to make the grade. The
only thing that might cross his way is again feared to be the tough
Indian stance of NO to multilateralism or trilateralism with regard to
long-standing disputes and a cosmetic YES to bilateralism. To note,
India has even kept the contentious and security issues out of the realm
of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which has
become instrumental in holding back the performance of SAARC. Hence,
India would endeavour to keep Kashmir out of the Indo-US affairs.
All-Parties Indian delegation assigned to the US is reported to have
been well briefed by India’s Exterior Minister on two issues; firstly to
lobby for securing permanent membership in UN Security Council and
secondly to brief well the aides of Obama on Indian point of view on the
issue of Kashmir. The delegation includes Kashmir Committee Convener
Ashok Bhan, Priya Dutt, Vijay Bahugna, Trichi Shiv, Anant Geetey,
Prahalad Joshi, Sukhdev Paswan and Jaya Pradha.
In the aftermath of Obama’s unambiguous statement on Kashmir, Parnab
Mukerjee, the Indian Exterior Minister was quick to repeat the rhetoric
of bilateral nature of the issue in question. He pronounced that the
issue of Kashmir would be resolved in keeping with the spirit of Shimla
Agreement and Lahore Declaration. Granted that bilateral dialogue
between the contending parties is the best way but only if it does occur
and that too meaningfully. To my remembrance, nothing bilateral (and
consequential) has ever come up between India and Pakistan. It has
always been the third party involvement that worked. Even though it did
not hold long but the Treaty of Tashkent was traded between India and
Pakistan by Moscow.
Likewise, albeit ongoing hiccups in water sharing system between the two
countries, the Indus Water Treaty arbitrated by the World Bank in 1960
held good even during the all out wars. With such a state of affairs in
the retrospect, how can the world expect that bilateralism would work in
the Subcontinent? Obama must remember that due to military nature of
security paradigm of South Asia owing Indian territorial disputes with
as much as four of its neighbours (Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and
Nepal), militarism is the stronger stimulus than something like
bilateralism. Obama must also make a note of the fact that India is the
largest arms importer on the globe and squarely due to Indian security
perceptions, South Asia has come up as the most militarized region in
the world. Soldier-to-area ratio of the region is quite ‘healthy’. There
is one soldier to each square kilometre of territory!
Coming back to point, to offset the Indian efforts to win over the US
minds in line with India’s Kashmir perspective, it would not be naïve to
suggest that an All-Parties Hurriet Conference Delegation composed of
leaders from both sides of the Line of Control should also visit the US
at an early date. The purpose should be to enlighten the upcoming US
Administration on the position of the people of Kashmir. In the end, I
sincerely wish and pray for Obama’s passion and sincere longing on the
issue to come true; earlier the better! |
