India, Pakistan talk at cross purposes on Kashmir
By Juergen Hein
NEW DELHI (DPA): India announced a truce in Kashmir and Pakistan followed suit, awakening hopes of defusing the nuclear power in the Indian subcontinent.
But observers point out that the two nations are still talking at cross purposes and their noises of reconciliation are primarily meant for the consumption of an international public, mainly the United States.
In Kashmir the fight is on two fronts. On the one hand it is between Indian security forces and several secessionist Muslim militias in Indian-administered Kashmir to whom New Delhi has offered a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan.
The other conflict is on the line of control (LOC) dividing Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir where Indian and Pakistan troops keep exchanging fire.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has asked Indian troops to hold fire against the militants in Kashmir except for self-defense during Ramadhan.
"I hope that our gesture will be fully appreciated and all violence in the state and infiltration across the line of control and the international border will cease and peace prevail" Vajpayee said on the cease-fire which was announced on Nov. 19 and came into effect last Tuesday.
Vajpayee won international praise for his gesture after he was repeatedly pressured mainly by the U.S. to resume the dialogue with Pakistan.
The dialog was cut short last year when Pakistan backed insurgents occupied strategic points in Kargil in Indian- administered Kashmir, halting Vajpayee's peace initiative which he began with the ride on the inaugural run of the bus service between Delhi and Lahore in Pakistan.
The U.S. and Britain pressured Pakistan's military ruler Pervez Musharraf to show that he was willing to make a peace offer. Pakistan's heavy dependence on international goodwill became clear a few days ago when the International Monetary Fund gave it a much needed credit of US$600 million to tide over financial problems.
"Cease-fire is no solution to the Kashmir problem" Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said initially but Saturday its Chief Diplomat Inamul Haq Offered a dialog and announced the truce on the LOC.
But Haq then said something which India had always found unpalatable. He wanted the truce to be supervised by the United Nations.
India sees red whenever Pakistan seeks to internationalize the Kashmir problems and has blocked such attempts in the past. From New Delhi's point of view Kashmir is an internal problem to be dealt with by federal Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani.
Advani says that the truce on the LOC is not enough. Pakistan must stop infiltrating arms and insurgents into India. But Pakistan insists that it provides only political and moral support to the separatists.
Thus it is still open to question whether the truce will lead to a peace in Kashmir.