Did Kashmir get anything?

Sir, - During the first day of his visit, the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was enjoying every minute from the moment of paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Only after he met the Hurriyat leaders at the Pakistan High Commission, did he start to feel the heat. He even said that the APHC leaders were the real voice of Kashmir, not bothering about the other Kashmiris. This change of mind reflected the pressure on him. Another of its manifestation came at the meeting with editors, where he said that if India thought that he would not discuss Kashmir as the core issue, then he better buy his childhood haveli in Delhi and live there. Not only this, he also let every one know what type of atmosphere prevails in Pakistan and how strong the religious fundamentalist groups are in that country.

The General knew that if he wins the confidence of the religious groups by taking a tough stand in India not only would he become a national hero but remain President for life. His delegation was here to take everything and give very little. If the head of State changes his line at will, like in the Hurriyat invitation case and the PoW case, one can easily imagine what would have happened to any joint declaration, if there had been one.

In a nutshell, the winner was the General who must have become a hero in Pakistan. The loser is undoubtedly the Kashmiri people.

Saikat Gupta,

Patna

Sir, - The summit is only a beginning. That the representatives of the two nations, who were at loggerheads for decades could sit and talk is itself a very good beginning indeed. In a TV debate Mr. Sitaram Yechuri, of the CPI(M), stressed that the Government should have done its homework before the commencement of the talks. The Government did call a meeting of the leaders of all political parties. I don't remember the CPI(M) had put forth any valid suggestion on what the Government should negotiate with Pakistan.

It remains a fact that in spite of the rule of the so-called `secular' parties for over 50 years, a breakthrough was made possible in this direction only during the reign of the NDA Government whose major partner is a `communal' BJP.

T.O. Ramachandran,

Thiruvananthapuram

Sir, - It is a pity that the summit had to end in a rather abrupt manner. However, there appeared to be `an element of positiveness' about this summit. Both sides appeared to have moved forward from their rigid positions of the past.

The extensive TV coverage, and `analysis sessions' with experts gave one an opportunity to hear the moderate Pakistani voices. Such contacts could well usher in a change in the mindsets on both sides.

H. Balakrishnan,

Chennai

Sir, - When Mr. Vajpayee invited Gen. Musharraf, Pakistan found an opportunity to divert attention from Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism which are finding a fertile ground in Pakistan.

Throughout the summit Pakistan insisted on sticking to a narrow focus guided by the Kashmir factor. The meeting with the Hurriyat on the first day showed up its stance of `Kashmir or nothing'.

Ajay Garg,

Lucknow

Sir, - The media is being blamed often for too closely following the summit and is being made partially responsible for the failure of the same. But, it is the media which brought the Pakistanis to our drawing rooms and revealed that their thoughts do resemble ours which is, in fact, a new realisation. The media too has made us aware of the dignity and integrity among Indian leaders.

Basumita Chakraborti,

Pondicherry

Sir, - This has reference to the cartoon of July 14. It projects a message that ``may be the Taj Mahal holds a lesson - peace initiatives should be symmetrical from either side...''

The appearance of the Taj is an archaeological wonder coupled with geometric perfection. However, a discerning note has been documented by the novelist Aldous Huxley in his essay `Taj Mahal'. After his visit to India and enjoying the sight of Taj Mahal from close quarters, he recorded that the beautiful pillars erected on the five corners of the base on which the monument stands actually differ in height. The symmetrical appearance of the whole structure is also slightly marred by windows with unequal width and height. A close scrutiny also reveals that many portions of the interior walls of the building are stuffed with ordinary material even though marble of exquisite quality adorns the outer surface.

With all its flaws in construction, the Taj Mahal continues to captivate the mind.

Joseph Kumar,

Kumbakonam, T.N.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : Agriculture: a long road ahead
Next     : Kerala lags behind