Pakistan sticks to peaceful negotiations

Pakistan sticks to peaceful negotiations

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has sent special envoy
Najmuddin A. Shaikh to brief Indonesian leaders on the latest
situation between Pakistan and India. Shaikh spoke to The Jakarta
Post's Kornelius Purba about his mission to Indonesia on Monday.
Below are excerpts of the interview:

Question: What is your main mission in Indonesia?

Answer: The purpose of my visit is to explain to President
Megawati Soekarnoputri and other Indonesian dignitaries about the
crisis situation in South Asia, and to deliver a letter from
President Musharraf to the President in the same context. I met
her on Friday. She is very kind and very understanding, and
emphasized that we should pursue the resumption of dialog between
India and Pakistan to settle the conflict peacefully. She said
that Indonesia advocates the resumption of dialog because
Indonesia believes that the absence of dialog will worsen the
situation.

So this is the main purpose of my visit to Singapore,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.

Q: Do you have any specific expectations from Indonesia?

A: Indonesia is a very important country and a member of regional
groups like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Indonesia
is a brotherly friend of Pakistan and India. With its concern as
a citizen of the world and as the member of the Southeast Asian
community which is in close proximity to South Asia, it can play
an active role in advocating restraint, in persuading India to
exercise restraint and to resume dialog with Pakistan.

Q: How about international concerns about the possibility of
nuclear war between Pakistan and India?

A: Pakistan has made it clear that it does not want war, Pakistan
will not start the war but will defend itself if attacked. The
President has said that the use of nuclear weapon is unthinkable.
But I think the most important point for the international
community is that today people are engaging in speculation and
assessments as to whether there will be a situation where a
conflict between India and Pakistan might result in a nuclear
exchange.

The crisis should not be allowed to become so acute where you
have to make an assessment whether nuclear (weapons) are to be
used or not. For the international community it is important to
avoid reaching such an evaluation or assessment.

That is why it is important for the international community to
act quickly to advocate and pressure India to exercise restraint
and to resume dialog. The international community should make
efforts to ensure that such a crisis does not arise again. It is
necessary to sustain meaningful negotiations between India and
Pakistan to settle the problem of Kashmir and to find a
settlement in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

There are three parties to the Kashmir dispute, namely India,
Pakistan and people of Kashmir themselves. The most important
party is the people of Kashmir. The people of Kashmir in the past
13 years since the struggle against the occupation of Indian
forces has intensified, have lost; according to an estimate by
Indian newspapers more than 45,000 people and according to other
estimates about 50,000 people (have died).

However no matter what the number, it is a terrifically large
figure. We must remember the right of the Kashmiri people to have
their voice and opinion taken into account in seeking a solution,
which has been promised to them by India, Pakistan and the United
Nations -- which in various resolutions have stated that the fate
of Kashmir will be decided through a free and impartial
plebiscite. Now we realize that Kashmir is a difficult problem,
we can have a simple solution, a plebiscite is a simple
solution...

Q: How about growing concern over terrorist activities in
Kashmir?

A: India has sought to suggest that the problem of Kashmir is a
problem of terrorism. This is absolutely wrong, intensification
of the Kashmir struggle started in 1989 and at that time there
was no terrorism, it was an indigenous problem. Of course they
received assistance from outside but it does not detract from the
fact that major part of the struggle has been raised by the
Kashmiri people themselves.

Terrorism from outside or assistance from outside is not the
main issue. India has tried to use the current atmosphere on
terrorism to obscure the fact that what is faced in Kashmir is
the fact that Kashmiri people are totally alienated from India,
and that the people want freedom.

Pakistan's President has reiterated that Pakistan will not
allow its territory to be used for any terrorist activities. That
is a very important development, but you must also look at the
situation on the ground in Kashmir. The line of control is 750
kilometers long ... Pakistan will make every effort to stop
people from crossing the line of control ... but people still
manage to cross.

The international community must make them (India) realize
that OK, if you keep making these allegations then you must
accept the proposal of Pakistan for the stationing of impartial
observers at the line of control, who can then say whether
India's allegation is true or not.

India has rejected the impartial observer proposal. India has
proposed that there should be a joint patrol by both Pakistan and
India at the border. However this is very difficult given the
fact that right now our soldiers are pointing guns at each other,
how can they patrol together? ... Tomorrow if we have a joint
patrol, the patrol (members) will be shouting at each other. But
nevertheless we will receive the proposal formally and discuss it
at the negotiating table.

Q: How about the prospects of a peaceful solution for Kashmir?

A: Pakistan has said and continues to maintain the position that
they are prepared for peaceful negotiations anytime, at any
place, and at any level; be it at the summit level or at a
ministerial level.