Two sets of people are upset with the way India is pursuing the peace process with Pakistan. In the first group are those in Kashmir who are, quite abruptly, faced with the reality of being irrelevant in the entire process. The second group is in Islamabad which is not quite sure about the direction the process is taking and is therefore discomfited. Both the groups are victims of self-delusion and hence are not in a position to comprehend that never before has such a positive signal emanated from New Delhi. <br /> <br /> There are enough reasons to support this contention. First, take the case of Kashmir. India's stand for the past half a century had been that Kashmir was an internal matter and would be dealt within that framework. Second, it had been an equally strong stand on the part of successive Indian governments that Pakistan had no locus standi on the issue of Kashmir. Third, any move towards peace with Pakistan was anchored to the demand for stop cross-border terrorism. All three positions stand dramatically altered in the current peace process. <br /> <br /> India has accepted that the international community has an interest in the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem. In the ongoing peace process, one of the most noteworthy points has been India's willingness to place Kashmir on the agenda of interactions with Pakistan. And, it is clear to every one that India has not allowed the contentious issue of cross-border terrorism to hijack the peace process. <br /> <br /> To return to the disgruntled elements, it would be appropriate to begin with the All Party Hurriyat Conference, better known as the Hurriyat. This is a group of more than 20 (numbers tend to shift with every season) political, social and religious parties (many of them are one-man wonders) who has been, desperately at times, to flag their indispensability in the peace process. Many of them have, time and again, exhibited secessionist tendencies, some have nursed political ambitions, several of them have, at some point of time or the other, benefited from the benevolence of Pakistan and almost all of them enjoy hardly any popular support in the valley which they claim to represent. <br /> <br /> An objective analysis of the Hurriyat will reveal that its self-styled leaders lack vision, are devoid of any sensible plan of action, and have consistently adopted a negative approach towards a resolution. Yasin Malik is one of the Hurriyat constituents who is today busy with a signature campaign on involving the Hurriyat in the conflict resolution. His answer to the problem is to make Kashmir another Switzerland. <br /> <br /> The Friday Times (November 26) comments on Yasin Malik's idea: "There is, perhaps, no use reminding him that the Kashmiris do not possess the Swiss discipline nor are they ever good with other people's money." No less different is the solution being suggested by Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who says the only way to resolve the issues is to involve the Hurriyat, Pakistan and 'mujahideen'. Even Pakistan has not had the gumption to suggest such a course of action. <br /> <br /> The Mirwaiz's father, to recollect, had a soft corner for a terrorist group called Al-Umar Mujahideen which was led by Mushtaq Zargar, known as Pandit Killer, one of the three terrorists released by the Indian Government in exchange of passengers of IC-814 Indian Airlines flight on December 31, 1999. Therefore, it should not have been surprising that the Government has taken a conscious decision to keep the Hurriyat out of the peace process. The Hurriyat, divided as it is, will only be a stumbling block in the peace process. <br /> <br /> As against this, India's stance towards Islamabad has been quite positive. Since it is well known that it will be almost impossible for President Musharraf, being the Chief of Army Staff, to give up the Kashmir agenda, India has offered him a viable solution: Keep aside the contentious issue of Kashmir for the time being and discuss economics and trade which can cement ties faster. Take, for instance, the Sino-Indian model of rapprochement currently under way. Pakistan only has to jettison the historic baggage of Kashmir being at the core of its dispute with India. It is water. And no less significant is the fact that the only enduring symbol of agreement between India and Pakistan is the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. <br /> <br /> At this point, there is a need to clarify that India has not rejected President Musharraf's seven-region Kashmir proposal. India has in fact accepted the underlying spirit of the proposal - to demilitarise a zone - and has already ordered a systematic withdrawal of troops from Baramullah. Pakistan, in response, should make a similar gesture. In the truest sense of the word, these are the first steps, shorn of rhetoric and bitterness, towards a real peace and stability in the region. <br /> <br /> <em>(Courtesy: The Pioneer, November 28, 2004)</em> <br /> <br /> <em>* Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Observer Research Foundation.</em>
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