By Akhil Bansal : The former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, recently called for resolution of the Kashmir issue, as is emphasized by leaders from both India and Pakistan time and again.But the peculiarity in the call of the former General is the stress on erasing the issue in one go and with it “burying the hatchet” for the times to come.Although such a call from a personality of the stature of Mr.Musharraf is laudable, the issue is the manner of conflict resolution proposed by him.
Kashmir issue, more than an issue of just territory,is intwined with the emotions of the people
of both India and Pakistan. The gap in the manifestation of the emotions in both the nations,
therefore the difference in public opinion, is such that it is not easy to reconcile or integrate it
in one go, especially when this emotional base is exploited by leaders of India and Pakistan for
decades after independence, therefore ,Pakistan Army’s major plank to mobilize public opinion
for legitimization of its ‘usurped’ space and a base for many right-wing political outfits in India,
some even of national stature to gain electoral strength or to outwit other secular parties, makes
the public opinion entrenched in one direction and rigid, which goes inimical to reconciliation at
the popular level. Further , with the withdrawal of Western forces approaching close, Pakistan
Army, the de facto power centre will not risk its relationship with hardline groups in order to
have a say in Afghanistan politics post-2014. The situation on the other side of the border is
not conducive either, as a ‘weak’ UPA government, battered by its allies, opposition and civil
society will not take any such bold initiative, so that it ends up playing in the hands of opposing
forces and ‘gift’ an issue to BJP to exploit for the next Lok Sabha elections.So, the idea of
resolving the conflict in a sudden fashion doesn’t stand on strong ground and seems to be far-
fetched in the prevailing milieu.
Even if, for a moment, it is assumed that the leaders decide to go for it, it doesn’t seem that
desirable too. In any resolution, especially on such contentious issues involving territory, there is
a ‘give and take’ that reconciles both the parties. But such ‘give and take’ can be easily portrayed
as a ‘substantial loss to the nation’, ‘giving up to other’s demand’ and even ‘anti-national’ by
vested interests which can ramp up and incite public opinion against the decision-makers. So,
there lies a very strong probability that the resolution may end up as a ‘significant issue’ itself for
the time to come, hence ramifying itself in the chain of events that will follow.
But still, Mr.Musharraf’s exhortation, lying on the edge of desperation due to the internal turmoil
caused by terrorists, has important points to be noted. Firstly, he talked about both nations
taking cue from Europe.European integration had a strong component of economic integration
and a common security perception related to it. But in case of New Delhi and Islamabad,
economic ties are certainly improving, but there is wide chasm between the security perceptions
of both nations, this is an obstacle in itself. Further, he discussed the four-point formula for
resolving the Kashmir dispute, which incorporates demilitarization along LoC, giving maximum
self-governance to the two halves of Kashmir, making LoC irrelevant by opening as many
routes along the border as possible and the development of an oversight mechanism. Well, an
agreement on these points requires bridging the ‘trust deficit’ between the nations and a stronger
on-ground commitment can be generated if these points are prioritized and implemented ‘step-
by-step’ with proper safeguards in place before enforcing each point, so that the success of a
proper implementation of one point becomes a reason itself for mobilizing public opinion for the
implementation of the next one.
The emphasis of my discourse here is on reconciling public opinion and then channelizing
the ‘common energy’ for a long-lasting solution. So, incorporation of the ‘clause’ of public
opinion and stretching the timeline for implementation , so that the ensuing turbulence of
a changed environment can be mitigated, will make the ‘Musharraf Plan’ reasonable and
enforceable. An effort in this direction is required by politicians, civil society, media, persons
that hold sway of public opinion on this issue and most importantly the citizens of both nations,
so that the issue which had its birth in the independence of both nations can be amicably resolved
in the interest of not just India and Pakistan, but for the whole world, as South Asia is regarded
by many as ‘the most dangerous nuclear zone’ in the world, which makes the resolution even
more imperative for global peace and stability.
** Author is an alumnus of IIT Delhi **