Monday, Jul 29, 2002
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By Amit Baruah
The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, with the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in New Delhi on Sunday. — AFP
Gen. Powell, who addressed a press conference before meeting the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, spoke bluntly about what he wanted India and Pakistan to do in South Asia. "We look to India to take further de-escalatory steps as Pakistan makes good on its pledges to permanently cease support for infiltration (across the Line of Control)," he said. The General indicated that a dialogue between the two nations appeared possible only after the Kashmir polls and the October general elections in Pakistan. He refused to be drawn into commenting on Indian statements that infiltration had declined only marginally. "There has been a reduction in infiltration levels, whether marginally or not I can't answer." But, he added, it seemed clear that infiltration was continuing and every effort was needed to end it. "President Musharraf has pledged to end it (infiltration) on a permanent basis. I look forward to discussing this with President Musharraf in detail....'' His comments today go to show the "cost" India will have to bear for inviting the U.S.-led international community to pressure Pakistan to put an end to supporting the terrorist cause. India has traditionally rejected the notion that Kashmir is an international issue; Gen. Powell's thinking is clearly on a different plane. Just as the Americans want the Pakistanis to deliver on a number of issues, India, too is feeling the heat to do more from the U.S. He reiterated on Indian soil that the Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, was playing a "useful role" in bringing tensions down with India — a formulation which is completely at odds with New Delhi's daily statements from the Foreign Office. While tensions were down, Gen. Powell said, both the Indian and Pakistani armies remained mobilised. The American goal, it appears, is that of making "regional stability permanent" in South Asia. He said the U.S. looked to both India and Pakistan (not Pakistan alone) to take steps to bring peace to the region. If one were to go by Gen. Powell's statements, the Americans have come to believe that a "credible election" in Jammu and Kashmir could be the beginning of a process of addressing the Kashmir issue in a broader sense. Stating that he looked forward to India taking "concrete steps" to foster Kashmiri confidence in the election process, he said the polls could serve as a first step for peace and reconciliation. Permitting international observers and releasing political prisoners would be helpful, he said. Gen. Powell went to the extent of saying that the elections could begin to address Kashmiri grievances and lead India and Pakistan back to the path of dialogue. Only sustained and productive dialogue between India and Pakistan could bring peace to the region, he said. Calling for free, fair and open elections, Gen. Powell said he had suggested to the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, that the participation of moderate elements, which played by the rules, should be encouraged in the election process. He hoped that an atmosphere of safety and peace would be provided by both sides — India and Pakistan. "I will be speaking to the Pakistani side to make every effort to avoid disturbing these elections," he said. Asked by a foreign correspondent why India was resistant to the idea of international observers in Kashmir, Gen. Powell said India believed it was capable of managing the elections without a formal monitoring system. He said India should make it as easy as possible for people to travel to Kashmir to give credibility to the poll results. "If you have enough outsiders to watch the election process this would benefit the Indian Government," he said. ``Elections (in Jammu and Kashmir) alone, however, cannot resolve the problems between India and Pakistan or erase the scars of so many years of strife,'' Gen. Powell said. Stating that the U.S. was looking for the broadest possible relationship with India, he stressed that he was not in New Delhi just because there were tensions in the region. Announcing several visits from the U.S. to India in the next few months, the General said it was important for the American and Indian leaderships to remain in close and frequent contact with each other. He said the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca, would be in New Delhi in late September for a "regional dialogue". He insisted that the U.S. was not playing the role of mediator between India and Pakistan, but using its good offices to bring people together. The U.S., he said, had good relations with all nations of South Asia — perhaps, better than anytime in the last quarter of a century.
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