Questions of peace and security are clearly inter-linked with Kashmir, as without peace and security Kashmir cannot constructively be tackled. In any case, we should not shy away from tackling the issue head-on.

Pakistan should be asked to state its case; it will find it difficult to justify its claim. It may harp on the principle of self-determination.

But it is accepted UN doctrine that this cannot be applied to areas within a state but only to colonial situations. The Muslim-majority plea can never be accepted by India as it would militate against India's secular foundations. The final argument is that ...Pakistan has launched three wars against India and continues to wage a proxy war (and) seeks to acquire at the conference table what it failed to do by the repeated use of force.

The proposed discussions would take the bottom out of all the Pakistani arguments. But that would not be the end of the matter. Pakistan would still not renounce its pretensions nor would India ever surrender any of its sovereign territory. To avoid a total stalemate, a modus vivendi should be sought on the basis of harmonising each other's interests while side-stepping the thorny issue of sovereignty. A feasible solution could follow the lines of the agreement arrived at by Italy and Yugoslavia in 1954 over the disputed territory of Trieste ...

... Kashmir essentially has trade and tourism to offer. Tourists from ... Pakistan could also be allowed entry on producing visas ... All other items should not present any great difficulty and could be settled on a basis of give and take. It is essential that, on the settlement of each item, it should be brought into immediate effect and the implementation of agreements on these must not await settlement of the more intractable issues ...

Out of evil can come good. After the echoes of the nuclear explosions have died down, both parties are very conscious of the peril that must be avoided at all costs. Assuredly, the process will be long, but the momentum must be kept up until the goal is achieved.                                                                                                     (Source: The Times of India, 20 July, 1998)