The Hindu : Accept Kashmir as a problem, PDP leader tells India, Pak.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 31, 2002

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Accept Kashmir as a problem, PDP leader tells India, Pak.

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR OCT. 30. The People's Democratic Party, which will lead the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, today urged India and Pakistan to accept Kashmir as a problem and work towards creating an atmosphere that would help build public opinion on the issue.

Speaking to The Hindu, the senior vice-president of the PDP, Muzaffar Hussain Beig, said "there is no government either in India or Pakistan which is going to give up Kashmir, nor is there any unanimity of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir on the issue.''

Both India and Pakistan should admit that there was a problem in Kashmir, Mr. Beig, a jurist of international repute, said. Both should undertake to resolve the dispute through peaceful means and fix a time-table, he said. "Without waiting, they should open the borders and engage people in trade and commerce... because most people in Pakistan believe that Indians have trishuls (trident) in their hands to demolish mosques, and Indians are of the opinion that Pakistanis are drug-peddlers and have guns in their hands to kill people.'' Unless people from either side of the border were allowed to meet and interact, public opinion could not be built in favour of a settlement. "People in both countries are extremely hostile to each other which cannot help in a solution,'' he said.

Maintaining that the new government would not tolerate human rights violation by the security forces or the militants, he said "we will deal with it sternly.'' Dispelling the impression that the coalition would go soft on the militants, he said "fighting militancy is not shooting with guns alone, it is a question of political and moral strategy... We will not be soft on militants just as we will not be soft against those who transgress the law.'' Trying to talk to the militants in a bid to wean them away from violence, however, did not amount to being soft. "It takes more courage to talk to a militant than to shoot and kill him... Our policy is one of courage and strength and not of softness and weakness'' Mr. Beig said. As far as dealing with foreign militants was concerned, it was primarily the subject matter of the Centre.

Mr. Beig was confident of providing a stable government. "The combination is shaping quite well,'' he said adding "our priority will be to build confidence among the people of Jammu and Ladakh that they will not only be partners in economic development but also in political decision-making.'' Lauding the role of the Congress, particularly that of its president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief, Ghulam Nabi Azad, he said the coalition partners were keen on a stable government.

"It is important as the people have voted for a change only to get rid of an era of mis-governance.''

Disagreeing with the view that with the emergence of the PDP, the All-Party Hurriyat Conference stood marginalised, Mr. Beig said "it will be impolite to say that we have marginalised them. But they have to reconsider their role in accordance with the changed situation."

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