By: Asem Mustafa Awan
India’s offer to Pakistan to negotiate on all disputes in Kashmir is good news for the millions of citizens of both the countries who want a peaceful resolution of their disputes.
Credible sources said that the initial meaningful contacts between Pakistan and India and India’s offer of dialogue on all contentious issues, including the Kashmir issue, are being considered by the power centers in Pakistan to work out their strategy.
India’s condition for the return of Kashmir’s constitutional status for talks with India is a condition that India has expressed a desire not be to imposed as such a condition, but on the proposal of “group dialogue” should be considered for resuming comprehensive talks.
Group Dialogue means that separate groups should be formed for each issue including Kashmir issue, Siachen, terrorism, infiltration, Sir Creek and water disputes so that the deadlock in one group does not affect the negotiation process on another issue.
Kashmir was one of the first post-independence conflicts between the two countries. One war after another followed. After independence, India’s attitude towards Kashmir, partition of Punjab, distribution of assets and refugees remained unsettled. Instead of establishing cordial neighborly relations with Pakistan and other countries in the region, India has presented itself as the regional henchman and made lives miserable for its neighbouring countries.
Every action that could have made peace in the region was sabotaged by India. During the Congress era, the Pak-India dialogue process continued at one level or another. No progress was made on the Kashmir dispute but diplomatic relations between the two sides have never deteriorated to the point that the affairs of embassies have been handed over to lower-level diplomats instead of high commissioners.
Tension was deliberately created on the Line Of Control and in the last two years, 300 Pakistani citizens were martyred, several houses were destroyed. India blamed Pakistan for suspicious incidents like Pulwama and sent fighter jets to attack Pakistan. Pakistan responded with restraint and shot down two Indian fighter jets which intruded Pakistan’s air space.
On one hand, the BJP government perpetrated all kinds of oppression on Muslims in India and the worst came, on August 5, 2019, when BJP government abolished Article 37, which protects the special status of Kashmir. Occupied Kashmir has been under siege by Indian forces for almost a year and a half.
Pakistan has constantly exposed India in international forums. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia and China have all offered to play a role in reconciliation between India and Pakistan. Moreover, in his first speech after his election victory, Imran Khan expressed his desire to improve relations with India. Imran Khan has repeated this many times since he was elected Prime Minister. Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had said a few weeks ago that India should refrain from aggressive intentions and move towards peaceful resolution of disputes with Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan has made it clear to the Indian leadership that without Kashmir, no series of bilateral talks will be able to move forward.