What Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said on Sunday after the two day visit to trouble-torn Srinagar is nothing new. This has been India’s stand for years and even before the outbreak of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir is an integral part of India and there is no need for third party intervention. Rajnath reiterated once again the age-old stand and asked the neighbouring country to change its attitude and approach towards Kashmir. But when it comes to State leadership the stand is different. It was former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who thanked Pakistan for the peaceful conduct of Parliamentary and Assembly elections in the State totally nullifying the efforts of Union Government. Such a reaction may be spontaneous for Mufti but it had taken everyone by surprise. Today his daughter Mehbooba Mufti who is the present Chief Minister has blamed Pakistan for wooing youth to take up gun and keep the militancy going on. One cannot even over rule the hands of some elements within the locals for the current unrest. India has to relook through a new prism its foreign policy especially where Pakistan and China are concerned. India’s skewed-up Pakistan and China policy has not been able to address the issues in right earnest. There has been more chaos and fewer results leaving more confusion on the ground. On the other hand Pakistan has always denied having any role in Kashmir turmoil. India has a dilemma: it deals with Pakistan’s civilian government but refuses to deal with the most powerful Pakistani institution in setting policy towards India – the army. No army-to-army talks between the two countries have taken place. There are questions over whether such talks would make sense for the Indian Army, which has far less influence over policy than its counterpart, and whether the Pakistan Army would even be inclined to talk to India, given that its raison d’être is a perceived existential threat from its neighbour. China poses a strategic challenge rather than a threat in the border dispute, by its growing trade and defence relationships with India’s South Asian neighbours.
