An out of context quote of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari in a section of the media about Kashmir dispute recently stirred a strong Kashmiri reaction on both sides of the divide and of course the diaspora. Many Kashmiri leaders- quite a few of those who are puppets on the strings of invisible hands- jumped to their guns. Without realising the unimpeachable commitment of PPP and the Bhuttos to the Kashmiri cause- they became tools in the hands of those who were defeated in the elections despite selective rigging and overwhelming support from President Pervez Musharraf. A number of pen-pushers too joined the chorus. For them any bad news is good news. Any quote that can be twisted and turned is a ball game.
Notwithstanding the strategic national interests of Pakistan-what is good for its survival and honourable existence--from its inception PPP has sustained all through history a Kashmir policy that seeks the solution to the core issue on the basis of right of self-determination. Without prejudice to the UN resolutions for plebiscite the PPP has sought to settle the dispute through bilateral negotiations. And at no stage-while discussing various options- it indulged in about turns on the matter as a tactical methodology that General (Retired) Musharraf has often resorted to.
During his ten-years in office- both as chief of army staff and as President- we have seen him float various "solutions" including a seven-division formula and categorical abandoning of the UN resolutions granting right of self determination to the people of Kashmir. Being a General he even followed into the footsteps of Field Marshal Ayub Khan (the author of "Operation Gibraltar" in 1965) and did his own Kargil operation that also failed with most deplorable consequences. Ayub rushed to blame Pakistan Foreign Office under Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for his military fiasco and went all the way to Tashkent to sign a most humiliating treaty with India under the aegis of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Musharraf went on to repeat history. While he was the sole author of the Operation Kargil, when he failed he made Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif responsible for it. It is another story that Nawaz Sharif saved Musharraf's second skin and got US President Clinton's timely intervention to avert a full-scale war with India.
Kargil's Pyrrhic misadventure of Musharraf was part of his overall Kashmir strategy before he committed series of about-turns in the post 9-11 period. He had laid bare his policy vis-à-vis India on April 11, 1999 addressing the English Speaking Union in Karachi just five months before ousting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He had described the Lahore Declaration signed by Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif seeking a 'composite dialogue process' as nothing but 'hot air'. In his speech Musharraf had summed up, "India is a hegemonic power. Low-intensity conflict with India will continue even if the Kashmir issue is resolved."
His 7-division formula had made it an extra-ordinary feat of exclusive diplomatic bravado since he had kept his Foreign Office and his Foreign Minister in the dark about it. Only person who was privy to his magic solution of Kashmir dispute was Hurriyat leader Maulvi Mirwaiz Umar Farooq with whom Musharraf had shared it under the glare of lights of the city of Amsterdam where the two had met. It was otherwise a top secret. This formula also signalled the formal burial of Pakistan's traditional stand on Kashmir based on the UN resolutions.
Some quarters on the pay roll of Pakistani intelligence had described Musharraf proposal as a giant step forward towards confidence building measure (CBM) with Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, however, did not mince his words in putting it straight: "I have made it clear to President Musharraf that any redrawing of the international border is not acceptable to us. Any proposal which smacks of further division is not going to be acceptable to us."
Musharraf has been indulging in lot of deception vis-à-vis Kashmir while PPP has been very clear and committed to the cause and its just solution. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) parted ways with Ayub over his handling of Kashmir at Tashkent. And despite Pakistan army's humiliating defeat in 1971 war when ZAB went to Shimla (1972) as the leader of a vanquished nation to negotiate peace with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi- he managed to get a most honourable treaty. Shimla Agreement ushered in the longest ever peace in the region until now-except periods of stands off-especially the Kargil misadventure. ZAB did agree for bilateral negotiations on the Kashmir issue without of course prejudice to the UN resolutions as well as not conceding Pakistan's right to seek UN intervention in case bilateral talks failed. He also recovered West Pakistan's 5000 square miles of territory captured by the Indian army.
During General Zia's time Kashmir issue was put in cold-storage since he wanted to keep India good humoured by his back-bended, hands-folded-tooth-paste-ad smile cricket diplomacy. Kashmir was pulled out of the back burner and brought on the centre stage as a human rights issue by Benazir Bhutto when she became prime minister although Generals like Hamid Gul conspired against her. She was responsible for getting the Hurriyat observer status at OIC and other international fora. When she appointed me High Commissioner to London her brief of priorities was to develop trade with Britain, mobilise foreign investment and internationalise Kashmir as a human rights issue where UN resolutions were flouted.
As leader of opposition Benazir never abandoned the cause of Kashmiri people, made it a point to speak about it whenever she had an opportunity. However, with the turn of global events following 9-11 and the Kargil misadventure by Pakistan that could have caused a nuclear war, she developed a new approach to handling the Kashmir dispute by ushering in confidence building measures between India and Pakistan, softening of the borders, inter-state trade, increase in flow of visitors etc-- without prejudice to the UN resolutions on the Kashmir issue. She had pleaded that India and Pakistan should not tag one issue with the other. Kashmir was to be resolved through confidence building measures while on the other she stressed the need of developing bilateral trade and exchanges. And the two should be separated from each other and that one should not be affected by the lack of progress on the other.
It was much similar to Sino-Indian relations following the 1962 war over a border dispute. Though the two countries are yet to resolve the issue that took them to war, they have continued develop trade and other ties to mutual benefit. As a matter of fact, Benazir had pleaded for converting SAARC into a structure like European Common Market (ECC) with the ultimate objective of making SAARC countries a Union of South Asian Nations.
For blueprinting her vision for an altogether peaceful, progressive and economically vibrating region Musharraf had unleashed his blood thirsty hounds like Ejazul Haq, Sheikh Rashid and Mohammad Durrani on her to dub her as a "security risk". It must have been rather ironic for his cronies to see their boss copy much of Bhutto's vision. When he distanced himself from cross-border terrorism and jihadi Lashkari organisations on Washington's orders, he would not have made himself an utter fool had he listened to her advice when she had asked him to give up his sponsorship to the terrorists much before 9-11.
Musharraf's went beyond her vision by "setting aside" of the UN resolutions. On the other hand the Pakistan Peoples Party's Kashmir policy under Benazir did not bargain on the UN resolutions relating to Kashmir as it believes that any bargaining on this is going to create a backlash amongst the Kashmiri people. Rather, she gave an alternative vision of moving South Asia on to the path of peace and prosperity through conflict management to precede conflict resolution with a view to creating a trading bloc of nations that can improve the living conditions of all the people in South Asia.
President Musharraf's alleged "sell-out" options had smacked more of one upmanship due to Bhutto's vision of peace with honour. The Musharraf regime-all through its ten years--lacked a coherent vision and its response to the challenge appeared more bizarre. If we look at Kashmir issue--it remains stalemated despite Musharraf's offer to drop the sanctity of the UN Resolutions in return for nothing from New Delhi.
Zardari's out of place quote from CNN-IBN interview should be read in the light of the above background and the Bhutto vision. It must be recalled that the PPP believes that progress in talks with India must be based without prejudice to the United Nations Resolutions on Kashmir and that a step by step approach will make people in all parts of South Asia appreciate the importance of good relations thus breaking a past marred by détente followed by conflict.
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar has done right by setting the record straight by reiterating that Pakistan Peoples Party is committed to resolution of the Kashmir dispute and normalization of relations with India on the basis of respect and honour. Referring to Asif Ali Zardari's interview, Babar maintains that he articulated Party's position. PPP believes in conflict management and conflict resolution while simultaneously creating a trading bloc of nations to improve living conditions of people of South Asia and at the same time enhance confidence as key to resolution of outstanding issues. The PPP is of the view that peace requires patience and that confidence building measures are required to create a climate for durable peaceful relations.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Syndicate Features
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