The Hindu : Kashmir is unfinished business: Straw

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 24, 2002

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Kashmir is unfinished business: Straw

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON MAY 23. In remarks that are not likely to amuse New Delhi, the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has called Kashmir "unfinished business" and stressed that the question as to "who should run Kashmir was never fully resolved".

While his statement is consistent with Britain's official position that Kashmir is disputed territory, observers questioned the timing of Mr. Straw's statement coming, as it did, on the eve of his visit to India and Pakistan. It was deemed to be "undiplomatic" of him to make a comment that might be seized by critics to undermine the credibility of his "peace" mission.

"At a time when every little nuance is important, he should have been more cautious in his choice of words even if he was simply reiterating a familiar position," one seasoned commentator said, recalling how Mr. Straw's predecessor Robin Cook triggered a bitter diplomatic row with his remarks on Kashmir during a visit to India a few years ago.

In recent weeks, Mr. Straw, who has a good rapport with the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, has been extremely careful to recognise Indian sensitivities on third party intervention in Kashmir, saying that ultimately it was for India and Pakistan to resolve their differences. But his reference to Kashmir as "unfinished business" is likely to revive New Delhi's old fears about the Labour Party's perceived pro-Pakistani tilt on the issue.

Mr. Straw made the remarks in response to a question on BBC's `Newsnight' programme on Wednesday on whether he believed that Britain bore some "responsibility" for the current state of Indo-Pakistani relations, a fallout of the dispute over Kashmir. He acknowledged Britain's culpability, saying: "Who should run Kashmir was never fully resolved."

Indian diplomatic sources here said that they did not regard it as a "departure" from the British position.

Situation grave: Blair

The statement came as the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, described the situation along the Indo-Pak. border as "very serious and grave" and urged both countries to "pause and reflect" before taking any action. In a balancing act, he asked Pakistan to stop supporting "any form of terrorism in Kashmir or anywhere else in the region", and wanted India to "offer a proper system of dialogue to resolve all issues between the countries, including disputes over Kashmir".

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's address to troops, in which he said that the time had come for a "decisive battle", has fuelled British fears of war, with commentators terming the remarks "bellicose" and "unhelpful". The remarks have been sought to be compared with the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf's "pledge" that he would not allow the Pakistani territory to be used for terrorist activities.

The Times called Gen. Musharraf's statement as an "eleventh-hour concession... to avert all-out war with India".

In an editorial, it described him as "the most nearly reasonable leader India has had to deal with in decades".

Despite widespread sympathy for India's case on cross-border terrorism, New Delhi is now seen to be upping the ante — a perception reflected in newspaper headlines.

`India's war cry over Kashmir' read the banner headline in The Independent while The Times noted that `Pakistan moves back from brink' and The Daily Telegraph said `India sends warships to Karachi as a warning'.

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