KASHMIR SITUATION
JKLF: Amanullah Khan's Open Letter to PMs of India and Pakistan
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which started the present phase of the Kashmiris' freedom struggle, is dedicated to an equitable, honourable, peaceful, democratic and permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.
The Kashmir issue is the main hurdle in the way of Indo-Pak amity Kashmir can become a bridge of friendship between the two countries beginning a new era of peace and prosperity for over a billion people of the region and to future generations.
1. Both India and Pakistan to ask the UN Security Council to help them solve the issue.
2. The Government of India the Government of Pakistan and Kashmiri political and militant organisations on both sides agree to and cease fire in Kashmir on a fixed date
3. After the cease-fire, all Indian and Pakistani armed forces and civil personnel be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir state and all i.e. pro-independence, pro-Pakistan and pro-India militants be disarmed.
The state be reunited and an interim administration established under UN personnel.
After, say, about six months, a government comprising notables from all regions, religions and political schools of thought of the state be established. India, Pakistan and China to undertake not to violate the geographical integrity of the state or abet any kind of disturbances therein. Trade between the state and India, Pakistan and China and through them with other countries to continue unabated.
5. At the end of say five years let the people of the entire state determine, through real democratic process (French system of elections), under UN supervision and without any kind of external pressure or influence, whether the whole state should emerge as fully independent and sovereign country or become part of India or of Pakistan. This verdict be accepted and implemented immediately.
In case the popular verdict is in favour of complete independence, it may be ensured that Kashmir becomes a neutral country like Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. I hope (you will) set the ball rolling at the earliest taking into confidence all the major political parties in your country.
I appeal to the political establishments and the media in both countries and I also call upon Kashmiri political parties ... and militant organisations to act as Kashmiris and not as puppets or mercenaries of others and contribute positively towards Kashmiris' national emancipation. (Source: The Communalism Combat, September, 1997)
CPI on Firing Arms LOC
The National Council (NC) of the CPI expresses serious concern over recent exchange of fire on the Line of Control in J&K.
The CPI has fully supported the initiatives taken by the prime minister Gujral to promote peace between India and Pakistan. "But hawks in the military establishment of Pajustab and tge ISI have used every opportunity to sabotage the bilateral negotiations and attempted to internationalise the so-called Kashmir issue. The current hostilities on the LOC is part of the same attempt. During last one year, the US state department has attempted to fish in the troubled waters by pressurising India to accept mediation to solve Indo-Pak problems. It is heartening that India has rejected third party mediation. still the state department continues to meddle in the affairs of the sub-continent. The USA has pressurised the GOI to advance the dates of Indian prime ministers visited to USA to coincide with Nawaz sharif's visit to USA. "It is good that the UF Govt. has frustrated such moves so far. But the situation demands doubling of vigilance". The NC urges upon the Government of India to stand up against mischief by the USA and frustrated the attempts to spoil the conducive atmosphere for growing bilateralism between India and Pakistan. The Council calls upon the people of the two countries to support the current moves for improving the bilateral relations between the countries to usger in an era of peace in the subcontinent in the 50th year of Independence of both India and Pakistan.
Chanchal Sarkar On Indo-Pakistan Rapprochement
Pakistan is not a spectre like Hamlet's father walking the ramparts of Elsinore Castle. It is a flesh-and-blood country with flesh-and-blood people. There is more to Pakistanis than their anger over Kashmir. I was made conscious that I was not Indian, Hindu, Bengali or anything like that, but part of a giant subcontinent with widespread and celebrated centres of art as my heritage.
I was keen, this visit, not to take my information from taxi-drivers, politicians and other journalists. So, I purposely spread the net wider to encounter artists, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, actors, producers, people in women's organisations, people working in population control, human rights workers, literary figures and so on.
It became my groundswell for better relations with India and soon - despite, though never forgetting, Kashmir. For 50 years the people of the two countries have been told "Make no concessions, not a grain, not an iota". They have been told so by politicians, bureaucrats, and the military. Now if there was some give and some concessions people would probably say, "Concessions have been made but the roof has not fallen in, the walls are still standing". And the "demonstration effect" would start working.
(Source: The Pioneer, 10 June, 1997)
