Kashmir issue is one of the oldest disputes in the world. India and Pakistan fought four wars and several proxy wars with each other, over Kashmir. It needs a fair dialog based on logic and aspirations of people to resolve Kashmir and other Indo-Pak issues. Pakistan claiming Kashmir as its shah rag and India referring to it as atoot ang will not resolve this dispute, the old notions need to be put aside by both nations and they need to work towards finding an outside the box solution for Kashmir, which will bring peace and prosperity in whole region. The administrative heads in current period of both these nations have inherited only confusion, grudges and cynicism from their predecessors, regarding each others’ national policy. However, at one point of the time the rulers of both the nations came as close as nobody before them in history. These statesmen were Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President of Pakistan Gen. Pervez Musharraf. During their tenure, both administrators worked their way towards putting an end to the cold war, and resolving Kashmir issue.
In 1999, a bus service from New Delhi to Lahore was started, and PM Atal Bihari visited Pakistan in bus along with some prominent Indians including filmstar Dev Anand and cricketer Kapil Dev, he was warmly received by PM Nawaz Shareef, the idea of travelling in bus was his own and not of his advisors or bueracrats’. On reaching to Pakistan, he made a remarkable statement on historical minar-e-Pakistan. This event took place after Kargil war, this shows keen interest of a PM to resolve all disputes with Pakistan. Atal bihari is the most respected PM of India in Kashmir. It was only Vajpayee who initiated peace process with Pakistan and made separatist and militant leadership party to it.
General Pervez Musharraf is former chief of Army and President of Pakistan, his tenure lasted from 1999-2007. Musharraf is known for engineering the Kargil conflict, where Pakistani army along with non-state actors indulged in infiltration and taking in control of several posts of Indian army (which were abandoned by them due to harsh weather) in 1999.
Musharraf later on took control of Pakistan as President, he is regarded as one of the robust and brave leaders of not only Pakistan, but also South Asia. In the beginning of his administration, Pakistan was going through a hostile relations with India.
Musharraf broke the ice with India in 2001, when Gujrat was hit by an earthquake, Musharraf called PM on the phone and sent in some aid to India, that led to an invitation for Musharraf, and he came to New Delhi in 2001. Later on both Vajpayee and Musharraf went to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, for ‘Agra Declaration’, which never happened. Both heads of the states along with their respective foreign secretaries drafted a joint declaration, it was bilateral and both parties were satisfied, now it only needed a ratification by a signing ceremony, but India backed out on it, it was preposterous and it brought situation to status quo. Musharraf described this failure on part of Vajpayee in his memoir In the line of fire as “There is a man and there is the moment. When man and moment meet, history is made. Vajpayee failed to grasp this moment and lost his moment in history.”
In January 2004, Vajpayee visited Islamabad for SAARC meeting, afterwards he met with Musharraf and both drafted a declaration, which is known as ‘Islamabad declaration’. Both nations decided to move the peace process forward through composite dialog. But, unfortunately BJP / NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government lost election to UPA (United Progressive Alliance) / Congress and Manmohan Singh became new Prime Minister of India and that decade is often referred to as ‘Lost decade’ by Kashmiris, because he did not move forward with what was left incomplete by his predecessor. Today India is ruled by BJP again with a hardliner leader, who does not want any discussion on Kashmir. someone has said it right “when two elephants fight, the grass gets trampled”.
Musharraf had formulated an ‘out of the box’ solution for Kashmir issue, it is also known as “4-point-formula”, which contends:
“1. Firstly, identify the geographic regions of Kashmir that need resolution. At present the Pakistani part is divided into two parts. Northern areas and Azad Kashmir. the Indian part is divided into three regions: Jammu, Srinagar, and Ladakh. Are all these on the table for discussion, or are there ethnic, political, and strategic considerations dictating some give and take ?
2. Second, demilitarize the identified region or regions and curb all militant aspects of the struggle for freedom. This will give comfort to the Kashmiris, who are fed up with the fighting and killing on both sides.
3. Third, introduce self-governance or self-rule in the identified region or regions. Let the Kashmiris have the satisfaction of running their own affairs without having an international character and remaining short of independence.
4. Fourth, and most important, have a joint management mechanism with a membership consisting of Pakistanis, Indians, and Kashmiris overseeing self-governance and dealing with residual subjects common to all identified regions and those subjects that are beyond the scope of self-governance.”
This amicable rough draft could have been refined by both sides, many intelligentsia on both sides appreciated this thought of Musharraf, and argued that it was the best formula to resolve the Kashmir issue, but unfortunately, this then Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was reluctant to work towards it and this formula was never executed.
The views presented in this article are the Author’s own, and does not in any way depict the views of the Kashmir Digest. This is an Op Ed
Author: Shahzeb Khan
LLB Student at KU