Chance to build consensus on Kashmir

By K. K. Katyal

NEW DELHI, FEB. 21. Belated, haltingly taken but welcome. The Government's action in calling an all-party meeting for consultations on the question of extending the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir did not come a day too soon. It was a significant step towards building a national consensus on Kashmir and could help take the issue out of party politics.

The involvement of non-government sections in talks on the sensitive issue was long overdue, and it was just as well that the future of the ceasefire provided the stimulus. The country could not afford any aspect of this problem - in particular, the question of peace in the State - becoming a pawn on the partisan chessboard. That much was realised by all but, unfortunately, it was not possible to live up to this noble thought because of the tendency to restrict the consultation process to the government set-up, apart from other factors.

The idea of the all-party meet may have been born out of tactical considerations but served a wider purpose. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in the last few days, became aware of a sharp sentiment against the ceasefire extension in the National Democratic Alliance, even within the BJP. In the first instance, he had planned to call the NDA constituents for discussions, but there was the risk of the critics attracting disproportionate limelight and, thus, affecting the credibility of the Government's decision.

The Congress and most other opposition parties, on the other hand, did not have a serious problem with the extension approach, though they found fault with other aspects of official policies and performance. By widening the scope of consultations, it was possible to ensure that critics in the ruling camp did not get undue importance. In the process, a unified face was projected.

Today's exercise was an extension of the talks between the Government and of the main opposition some ten days ago. That interaction proved useful - filling as it did some vital communication gaps. The Congress was able to get a clearer idea of the ground situation, before and after the ceasefire, and of the rationale behind the unilateral ceasefire for the Ramzan month and the subsequent extensions. Not that it was satisfied with the totality of the Government's policy, but its criticism was based on its evaluation of the problem based on information supplied to it. Its stand did not stem from ignorance about the Government's moves and its thinking.

The consultation with party leaders was useful on many counts. One, it helped the Government get inputs from a wider range of political opinion. Two, it could - hopefully - reduce the scope for thoughtless inter-party wrangles. True, some in the opposition were vociferous in expressing their misgivings and reservations and made forceful points against piecemeal approach and in support of a wider strategy but were supportive of the ceasefire extension. It helped demonstrate the all-party backing to the Government's stand.

Today's discussions were held under the pressures generated by the current ceasefire deadline and, as such had a narrow focus. In future, this process could well be widened to cover decisions on various - and crucial - aspects of the Kashmir problem - like the shape and timing of engagement with Pakistan, involvement of the Hurriyat and other groups in talks. The importance of this second problem was highlighted by the recent unfortunate developments in the State - the firing by security forces and the intense sharp protests at the popular level. That had led to the squandering of the gains accruing from the ceasefire.

Since the first announcement, New Delhi had been talking of the relief to the local people, of the respite from the security- driven day-to-day living. With protest demonstrations at various places, could the argument - ``relief to the local population'' - be sustained? Some in the Opposition have specific ideas on what needs to be done by way of follow-up of the ceasefire - which could be given serious attention in the interest of coherence of the Government's overall approach.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : U.S. may dilute stand on labour at WTO
Next     : Two blinded in Bihar