120 Whither Kashmir? (Part II) - Islamabad Policy Research Institute

6 IPRI Factfile
The media is perhaps the only force that can now catalyse the
public opinion to bring about requisite pressure on both governments to
come out of their negative mode and move ahead. The joint Times-Jang
groups' initiative is a timely effort towards generating the needed "surge
of goodwill and flexibility" through Aman ki Asha in civil society and
the media across the borders and might indeed evoke the requisite
popular will in support of peace and normalcy between the two estranged
neighbours. But a word of caution is also needed.
There is no room for over-optimism in the India-Pakistan context.
There is nothing wrong in being optimistic, but given the volatile history
of India-Pakistan relations and complexity of the issues involved, one
would be better off being cautious and realistic, not drawing euphoric
conclusions or raising unrealistic hopes. This has been a troubled
relationship, marked by "conflict and confrontation." In fact, the
underlying problems behind this legacy are rooted in their history and
the long-standing tradition of mutual distrust and suspicion that they
inherited on their independence.
And at the core of all their problems is the Kashmir issue, which
has kept the relations between the two countries bedevilled, perpetuating
mutual tensions and animosity. The clash in 1948, the 1965 war, the
Siachin dispute, the Kargil crisis, the volatile Line of Control, frequent
warlike military deployments, the water disputes, including Wullar
Barrage and Baglihar Dam, and Pakistan's strategic fears and
apprehensions are all directly related to Kashmir.
The Kashmir dispute invokes intense feelings in the peoples of both
India and Pakistan, as well as the Kashmiri people themselves. Their
historical experiences, cultural diversities, religious fervour, scars of
partition, wars and conflicts, liberation struggle in Kashmir and
resurgence of violence and terrorism in recent years, all come together in
a curious convergence in the unresolved dispute of Kashmir. Even in the
most optimistic scenario, Kashmir would remain an overarching factor in
any India-Pakistan peace process.
This is not a territorial dispute. It is a question involving the right
of self-determination of the Kashmiri people pledged to them by both
India and Pakistan and the international community through solemn
resolutions of the UN Security Council. Both sides will have to involve
the Kashmiri people in the dialogue process. They are the arbiters of their
own destiny.