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Advani rejects role for international observers in J&K

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 1. The Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, today rejected any role for international observers in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Cross-border terrorism was the only issue that could be of concern to the world.

Dismissing suggestions by the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, that international observers be allowed to monitor the coming elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Mr. Advani told the Rajya Sabha that the State was an integral part of India and that issues such as development and devolution of powers were its internal problems.

Mr. Advani said intrusion across the Line of Control in Jammu was continuing and ``nobody should have any doubt about it.'' Referring to an encounter between a joint team of the Army and the security forces and terrorists near Rajouri last night, in which four militants and an Army Captain were killed, he said ``our assessment of infiltration varies with that of the U.S. and other nations.''

During his 40-minute reply to the two-day discussion on the latest situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Advani stoutly defended New Delhi's position on Kashmir. He talked at length about conducting free and fair elections in the State, disagreed with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's suggestion of trifurcation and gave his perception of the different standpoints of India and the U.S. on Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism. He declared that Islamabad would have to dismantle the infrastructure that bred terrorism, and abandon the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

Responding to members' queries on the conduct of free and fair polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Advani said that he had spoken to the Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, who had said that as far as the State Government was concerned, any citizen of India, as well as ambassadors and NGOs, could come and see the elections for themselves. He would also ask the Election Commission to do whatever it could to ensure that the Assembly polls were not only free and fair but also "appeared to be so," Mr. Advani said. However, he ruled out any role for foreign observers. "No certification (is needed) because we consider Jammu and Kashmir our problem.''

Drawing on history, Mr. Advani quoted from Jawaharlal Nehru's speech at an AICC session in which he had argued that Jammu and Kashmir was considered special because it was a symbol that negated Pakistan's two-nation theory.

Taking on Pakistan's oft-repeated stance of ``right of self-determination,'' Mr. Advani said that eight years ago, he had asked in an international forum why Pakistan did not think of giving similar right to the people of Sind or Baluchistan, where strong movements were on.

He traced the genesis of the current problem of terrorism to Pakistan's inability to come to terms with the Indian state and its defeat in three direct wars between 1947 and 1971, after which it had unleashed a proxy war since 1980.

On the RSS demand for trifurcation of the State, Mr. Advani said the Government had disagreed with it. The BJP's forerunner — the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee — had waged a struggle for the integration of the State with the Indian Union.

The people of Jammu and Ladakh had always complained of neglect and devolution of powers would mean that its benefit would reach other parts of the State, and not just flow between Delhi and the State capital. The Government was sincere in holding talks with the people of the State. The proof of its sincerity could be gauged from the progress in its talks with the various Bodo outfits and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaak-Muivah).

Hoping that the talks of the Centre's representative, Arun Jaitley, on devolution of powers in Jammu and Kashmir would bring "good results,'' Mr. Advani reiterated that the Union Cabinet had rejected the June 2000 autonomy resolution of the State Assembly as it had not specified the areas in which such powers were sought nor was the pre-1953 status acceptable to it.

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