The Hindu : `People should have a say in Kashmir'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

`People should have a say in Kashmir'

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, FEB. 24. The wishes of Kashmiris should dictate the future of Kashmir, a six-member delegation of district councillors and social workers from Pakistan has said.

The delegation is here to attend sessions on local governance conducted by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), visit panchayats and interact with representatives of local bodies. ``The majority of the educated and progressive Pakistanis feel that the Indo-Pak conflict and the Kashmir issue should be solved peacefully,'' says Sheikh Asad Rahman, the only man in the delegation and coordinator of Aurat Information and Publication Services Foundation, claimed to be the sole NGO working for women's empowerment in Pakistan. Shabina Ayaz, who works in the Peshawar office of the Foundation, says that under the new system of governance, there are 37,000 women local representatives in Pakistan. ``When the Government allowed 33 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, there was some initial resistance from religious groups. We tried to make the groups gender-sensitive. The results are encouraging,'' she says.

Tayaba Altaf, chairperson of Justice Committee and general councillor from Quetta, says that the presence of women in the local bodies marks a significant change in Pakistan. ``In a progressive society, women should play a creative role in policy-making,'' she says.

Shamima Mumtaz Wasi, chairperson of Monitoring Committee of Education and district councillor from Karachi, says that water conservation is one of the major development issues before the local bodies in Pakistan.

Mr. Rahman says that a section of the national and international media has projected Pakistan as poverty-stricken, especially in the context of liberal budget allocations for defence. ``True, that some areas of Pakistan, say rural Sind or certain sections of Baluchistan and southern Punjab, are economically depressed. But the rest of the country is developing. No man in Pakistan dies of hunger. About 60 per cent of the population enjoys drinking water facilities. Only five to 10 per cent are homeless,'' he claims.

What is the general perception about India in Pakistan villages? ``The truth is that people of both countries can relate to each other very well. We have a shared history and culture. Some of the hostility between the people has been created by the politicians and the media,'' says Ms. Altaf.

Mr. Rahman observes that the people of the sub-continent often see life through an emotional prism. ``It is in our blood. We relate to issues and events emotionally. When we have an Indo-Pak cricket match, people of both countries react as though war has broken out. But then what is wrong with this? Like England and Australia, we are arch rivals in the cricketing world.''

The other members of the delegation are Rashida Aziz, district councillor from Jhelum city, Punjab, and Syeda Hasina Gul, district councillor from Nowshera.

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