By Daya Sagar
Since early times Pakistan has been saying that “Kashmir issue’ must be core issue for any Indo-Pak talks. And for Pakistan surely the ‘Kashmir issue’ has no other reference point other than 1947 partition of India. But instead on the other hand India government have been always professing that it is out for bringing peace and property for people of J&K from Pakistan in the ‘basket’ made out of economic and cultural fibers. Now Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shrief has on this 22nd July in very plain and simple words sent the message to the world community that as long Kashmir does not become part of Pakistantill then Pakistan government will keep on supporting agitation/ protests in ‘Kashmir’ against India by all possible means. Whereas, on February 22nd 1994 the Parliament of India unanimously passed a resolution where in para (c) it had been said… ” and demands that (c ) Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression ; and resolves that (d) all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely.” Every next day Indian leaders and ministers are found quoting 22nd February 1994 resolution and saying that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India but even after 1994 at no Secretary level or Ministerial level or Prime Minister level summit talks with Pakistan neither during the times of NDA governments nor during the times of UPA governments Pakistan has been asked by India pointedly to vacate the areas of Indian State of J&K that Pakistan occupied through aggression after 1947 August. Whereas at least after 22 February 1994 there was no ‘first’ issue between India & Pakistan than getting vacated areas occupied by Pakistan. Yes, it is sure that the Ministers after making some half statements like J&K is integral part of India go so eager to see a news item in the newspapers in their name. And if at all some Secretary or Minister or Indian spokesperson does say that only issue with Pakistan is vacation of occupied areas they say so in some local public meeting or while talking to media or in recent years in tweets where as such message or demand needs to be conveyed to Pakistan through a direct official communication. This 21st July a half statement made by Indian foreign affairs office has appeared in media. Also a junior union minister in a way even appeared modifying the text of 22nd February 1994 parliament resolution when a news appeared in the media sourced in PTI quoting him as having said on 16th July 2016. “It was way back in 1994 that Indian Parliament passed an unanimous resolution stating that if at all there is any outstanding issue, it is how to retrieve part of J&K which remains under “illegal occupation of Pakistan” … where as in the referred parliament resolution it was said Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammuand Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression”. Such references do indicate how non-‘seriously’ J&K affairs have been handled all these years. It is no less than deceiving your own self by making references to vacation of areas of Indian state of J&K as POK and talking of need for their vacation by Pakistan in media or through tweets and instead not issuing directives to Pakistan for vacation.
People who to their convenience at occasions refer to 22nd February 1994 unanimous resolution of Indian Parliament that in a way directs Pakistan to vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammuand Kashmir which they have occupied through aggression, must be asked that the Report 2011 of Dileep Padgaonkar lead team of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir (Group of Interlocutors for J&K- A new compact with the people Jammu & Kashmir) in which it has been said that the then Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and Pakistan President had nearly arrived at a final 4 point settlement as regards J&K (‘Kashmir’) is still lying in ‘shelf’ and why have such references not attracted their attention worth their silence ?Similarly there are some suggestions in the J&K PDP Self- Rule Frame work 2008 that do appear raising some fingers on the totalness of 26th October 1947 Accession of the then Indian Princely State of J&K with India, raise questions on J&K being India suggesting for joint control of India & Pakistan on some affairs concerning “Greater Jammu and Kashmir” and hence do weaken the ‘spirit’ of the 22nd February resolution of Parliament of India but why so far even Congress and BJP have not shown real concern for that through their ‘conduct’ could be asked?.
Silence on such like subjects and opinions on the part of major political parties of India too is responsible for making ( even compelling) the common people of J&K (Kashmir Valley in particular) to consider giving some thought to proposals like that of Greater Autonomy, Self Rule Framework, Azadi.
More particularly after 1990 the new ‘considering’ generations are more exposed to outside world and opinions and so far the environments have been nursed more to disadvantage of Indian interests.
From the happenings in Kashmir Valley after 8th July and the way some senior leaders have addressed the situations in Kashmir Valley in the Parliament it will not be wrong to say that in 2016 people in Jammu Kashmir do not completely reject the ‘separatists’ . And nobody should be surprised with this in view of the so casual, non-serious or it may not be an over statement to say that the wrong manner of handling the affairs concerning J&K for over six decades (even after 1990).
And to truthfully understand that why after 8th July killing of separatist-militant Burhan Wani his supporters have been found gathering enough sympathies and support from the common subjects of J&K (particularly in Kashmir Valley) Government of India / Indian leadership will have to pay attention to the pointed references like the ones made herein, otherwise the affairs would get more and more caught in the controversies of religion, region and ‘Napaak’ Pakistan contexts. NDA-II Government must seize this opportunity to take the reports like J&K Autonomy Committee Report 1999, the Report 2009 of PM Manmohan Singh’s 5th Working Group ( 2007 -2009) that was headed by a Retired Judge of Supreme court of India Justice Saghir Ahmed Report, Group of Interlocutors For J&K Report 2011 (Group of Interlocutors for J&KA new compact with the people Jammu & Kashmir ) out of the shelf for their scientific and constitutional disposal through rejections or acceptance.
(Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist can be reached at [email protected])
