archive: Militants can do nothing for J&K, says U.K
Militants can do nothing for J&K, says U.K
L.K. Sharma
The Times of India
July 24, 1999
Title: Militants can do nothing for J&K, says U.K
Author: L.K. Sharma
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 24, 1999
The British government has acknowledged that the "incursion, and
continuing violence of the militants in Jammu and Kashmir, have done
nothing, and can do nothing, to promote a durable solution in
Kashmir." It ex-pressed concern over "four massacres in recent weeks,
and militants continuing to attack the Indian security forces."
In its strongest condemnation of militants operating in Kashmir,
foreign office minister Geoffrey Hoon told the House of Commons that
the militants had little in common with the ordinary people of Kashmir
and did not represent them. In a rare reference to the multi-cultural
profile of Kashmir, the minister said: "No single group or institution
can accurately claim to represent the views of all those who live in
the territory of the former princely state. The interests of the
Muslims in the Valley, the Buddhists of Ladakh and the displaced Hindu
population are not uniform; nor have India and Pakistan agreed on the
issue of Kashmiri participation."
It took the Kargil tragedy to open the eyes of the Labour government
to the realities. The House of Commons statement which referred to
Kashmir as "a regional security problem" focussed on the problem of
terrorism and emphasised the multi-cultural profile of Kashmir. It
refrained from offering Britain's good offices for mediation in the
dispute which was earlier seen by some government leaders as an
unfinished agenda and a special responsibility of an old imperial
power.
This significant statement by the Labour government makes no special
concessions to the sensitivities of the Mirpuri constituents of some
of the Labour MPs. It seems to have been influenced by larger
considerations such as recognition of the dangers of cross-border
terrorism, religious militancy and Talibanisation of societies. India
has no reason to complain even though the statement does not overlook
the problem of human rights violation in Kashmir.
The statement, unless made less meaningful by subsequent comments, may
help infuse some warmth into Anglo-Indian relations. With the
Parliament session coming to a close, there was hectic activity by the
sections unfriendly towards India.
There was a spate of questions and then came the adjournment motion by
a Labour MP who raised the issue of human rights violations in Kashmir
while some of her Mirpuri constituents looked on from the public
gallery. Lorna Fitzsimons began by saying that she wanted to be
even-handed but as far as Kargil was concerned, she disagreed with a
fellow Labour MP who praised India's remarkable and commendable
restraint in its response to "the incursion by Pakistani armed forces
across the Line of Control in their attempt to undermine India's
territorial integrity."
Ms Fitzsimons was irked by the use of the air force by India and
generally by India's human rights record. And defending her interest
in a foreign policy issue, she said, "I do not like to be told that my
job is to represent my people in Rochdale." She said she had been
requested to speak by people of her constituency and she represented
those whose families still lived in "Indian-controlled Kashmir". She
refused to give way to a fellow Labour MP of Indian origin but was
glad to oblige a colleague of the Pakistani origin. As it turned out,
she and the pro-Pakistan lobby could draw no comfort from the speech
made by Mr. Hoon.
He used the opportunity provided by the woman Labour MP to pay a
tribute to the Indian government but for whose restricted response,
the fighting could have easily escalated. He also praised Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who used his influence to ensure that
those combatants who had crossed the LoC withdrew from those
positions.
The minister said Britain had made it clear to both India and Pakistan
that the route to a long-term solution lay in dialogue. "India is
already a major player on the world stage, and its importance is set
to increase over the next few years. We want a modern, close and
forward-looking partnership."
He said Britain's relations with Pakistan were marked by their
warmth. "We want Pakistan to realise its great economic and human
potential, and to continue to develop as a democratic partner in the
Islamic world."
Mr. Hoon urged India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue on all
outstanding issues, including Kashmir as the long-term interests of
the two nations lay in a mutually-acceptable solution.
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