Centre must take steps for comprehensive talks with Pakistan: Karat

Says there is an urgent need for the Modi regime “to back off from blinkered confrontationist stance.”

Then CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat addresses a convention of Left parties in Patna. (FILE)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday said that the government should shed its “confrontationist stance” and initiate talks for resumption of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan.

In the editorial in the latest edition of CPI-M organ Peoples’ Democracy , former general secretary Prakash Karat wrote that the government by “closing off all avenues for talks” with Pakistan, has “painted itself into a corner.”

“There is an urgent need to back off from blinkered confrontationist stance. First of all, there should be talks to restore the ceasefire and peace on the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border in Jammu and Kashmir. Simultaneously, the government should initiate talks for the resumption of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan,” he said.

‘2017 saw highest number of violations’

In his piece titled ‘Reverse the no talks stance,’ Mr. Karat said that even though the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had claimed the surgical strikes as the only “befitting reply” to the ceasefire violation by Pakistan, it could not stop the constant shelling and artillery fire by Pakistani army and attacks by extremists from across the border on army and BSF camps.

He has also reminded the government that since the ceasefire was put in place in November 2003, the year 2017 witnessed the highest number of violations.

There were 860 incidents across the LoC and another 120 on the international border and the situation has worsened in the last three months with December 2017 and the first two months of 2018 with 400 violations in the first two months of this year, he pointed out.

‘One-dimensional view to blame’

The Left leader has also alleged that the Modi government’s “one-dimensional view” that all protests and separatist demands are Pakistan-inspired has prevented it from taking any serious step for a political dialogue within Jammu and Kashmir.

“Its purely security and militaristic approach has further worsened the situation in the valley,” he said.

Mr. Karat suggested that the government initiate confidence-building measures, which can be done along with the government making it clear that it will continue to take firm measures to check cross border infiltration of extremists.

The CPI(M) leader also emphasised that the government must realise that despite all its “bluster and nationalistic posturing” on Kashmir, a dialogue with Pakistan is an essential part of arriving at a “political settlement” on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.