The Hindu : Time for international facilitation: Sajjad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 08, 2002

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National

Time for international facilitation: Sajjad

By Kalpana Sharma

MUMBAI AUG. 7. ``The Hurriyat has never shown any inclination for participating in the coming elections in Jammu and Kashmir'', Sajjad Lone, Chairman of the People's Conference, a constituent of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, said here today. Mr. Lone is in Mumbai with his wife, Asma Khan Lone and Bashir Manzar, editor of the newspaper Kashmir Images, as a guest of the Pakistan India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy.

Speaking to journalists at an informal meeting, Mr. Lone — who was thrust into politics following the assassination of his father, Abdul Gani Lone — said the issue of participating in elections could only be considered if they were part of a dialogue process. "What is the point of any of us being members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly if after it has passed an autonomy resolution by a two-thirds majority, the Government of India rejects it,'' he asked. The administrative functions of the State Assembly, he said, were overshadowed by the political problem in Kashmir and therefore being part of it was meaningless. "And if we vote (in the coming elections), then the Indian Government will market this as a vote for accession,'' he said.

Speaking as a member of a new generation of Kashmiris in politics, Mr. Lone said they had inherited the historical legacy of Kashmir. "Isn't it a shame,'' he asked, "that in the 21st century, two countries representing more than one billion people are threatening each other with nuclear weapons?'' The Kashmir issue should be delinked from domestic problems in India and Pakistan. "Domestic pressure is exaggerated; it exists only in the media. I don't think an ordinary person in Lucknow, or in Lahore, is concerned about how the Kashmir issue is resolved,'' he said.

Asked what he thought of the international interest in Kashmir, Mr. Lone said he felt that a point might come "when diplomatic realities overrule domestic political realities.'' He said he was pinning his hopes on the "civilised world'' to help resolve the problem where there were three parties, "the people of Kashmir, the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan.'' The time had come, he suggested, for "international facilitation.''

Whether this came about by way of direct participation in talks by some country or countries, or involved some kind of "international supervision'' of a peace process, there had to be some kind of intervention. "People in Kashmir may be fatigued with the violence, but they have not given up their basic sentiments for self-determination and their aspirations for Kashmiriyat.''

Contrary to Mr. Lone's statement about the Hurriyat's position on the elections, Mr. Manzar said that there were some signals that ''some people were willing to give the elections a try''. However, he said, the hurriedly announced election schedule had left people with no choice. "People want change, they want peace but not the peace of the graveyard. They want peace with honour and dignity,'' he said.

The ordinary people in Kashmir now believe that the Government of India wants Farooq Abdullah's party to rule for another six years, said Mr. Manzar. The election schedule did not allow any time for alternatives to be worked out. "This election is going to be a repeat of the 1996 election,'' he said.

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