The Hindu : International : Gaps in perception of India, Pakistan on Kashmir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

International

International

Gaps in perception of India, Pakistan on Kashmir

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, DEC. 29. Despite the progress of the dialogue process, gaps remained in the perceptions of India and Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir and security related confidence-building measures (CBMs) at the end of the second round of the composite dialogue.

Both sides are deeply divided even on the approach and future direction of the process. India claims to focus on a "people's approach" without deflecting attention on Kashmir while Pakistan insists that full normalisation of ties will have to wait for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

The difference in the style and substance of both sides was evident at the separate press interactions of the Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, and his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Khokar. They differed sharply on the status of Kashmir, cross-border terrorism and people-to-people contacts.

Mr. Khokar contested the Indian view that "much more" needed to be done on cross-border terrorism and asserted, "as far as the Pakistan Government is concerned, nothing is happening on the Line of Control (LoC)."

The Pakistan Foreign Secretary said the Indian side had been told that "human rights violations" had gone up in Jammu and Kashmir and India needed to address this issue. He took exception to "repeated assertions" by India that Kashmir was an integral part and said the position was unacceptable and unhelpful in pursuing a purposeful and result-oriented dialogue.

Though Mr. Saran assured the Pakistani delegation that India was not seeking to sideline Kashmir through the route of CBMs and people-to-people contacts, Mr. Khokar made it a point to note: "we also conveyed that the Jammu and Kashmir issue, which is central to Pakistan-India problems and is indeed a core dispute, cannot be sidelined or put on the backburner."

Mr. Saran emphasised that Kashmir was a complex issue and India was not shying away from a serious and sustained dialogue. Some of the Indian proposals were aimed at addressing the grievances of Kashmiris on either side of the divide.

Mr. Khokar maintained that Pakistan did not accept the proposition that India alone spoke on behalf of the Kashmiri people.

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