The Hindu : National : Foreign militants creating mayhem in Kashmir: Omar Abdullah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 12, 2006

National

National

Foreign militants creating mayhem in Kashmir: Omar Abdullah

B. Muralidhar Reddy

India should not shoot down proposals mooted by Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A dinner hosted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri for participants of the Pugwash-sponsored International Conference on Kashmir on Friday degenerated into a shouting match between National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and a few Pakistani journalists, much to the embarrassment of the host.

Killings in the name of religion

The bone of contention was the supposed role of foreign militants in bringing a bad name to Kashmir. A charged Mr. Abdullah remarked that foreign militants, who had nothing to do with Kashmir, were engaged in reckless killings and mayhem in the name of religion.

It prompted a journalist to ask Mr. Abdullah whether he implied that "80,000 graves of martyrs in Kashmir consisted of Chechens, Afghans and Arabs." An angry Mr. Abdullah appealed to the press not to distort his comments and asserted that he never talked about militants of Kashmir origin.

"If you report what I have not said, I would need a Pakistani passport as I can not return home. I am talking about the foreign mercenaries in Kashmir. I am convinced that they need to be dealt with appropriately. As for the indigenous militants who have taken to gun to ventilate their grievances, they deserve a different treatment."

Much to the disbelief of the audience, a journalist wanted to know from Mr. Abdullah whether he was disassociating himself being a Muslim. Before any further damage could be done, the guests rose from their seats and dispersed.

Most of the questions, some very pointed, were addressed to Mr. Abdullah despite his request not to put him and his host in an embarrassing position. At one point, when he wanted to know why all the questions were directed at him, a journalist shot back: "Because you are the smart one."

Indian High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Menon and Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan shared the high table with the Kashmir leaders and Pugwash secretary-general and Pakistan chapter chief coordinator Talat Masood.

Mr. Kasuri asked the media not to address any questions to the Indian High Commissioner or the Foreign Secretary on the plea that it was not fair to expect them to "stick their necks out."

Durable peace

In his opening remarks, he said: "We feel both the countries have suffered enough and we now need peace but we want peace that is durable."

To persistent questions on Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah said: "Let's look ahead and not get into the past which would embarrass many of us."

To a query, Mr. Kasuri said while Pakistan did not command the militant groups active in Kashmir, it had "influence" over them. It would like to use its influence to bring down violence. "Pakistan does have influence [over the militant groups] but we do not command [them]. Pakistan has influence because it has been advocating and highlighting the Kashmir issue."

"When we say we have influence it does not mean that we have control, of course we do not have any control but we do have influence," he said adding that Pakistan would like to use its "influence" to bring down violence.

"Pakistan is interested in bringing down the level of violence because we feel that will definitely facilitate resolution of [the issue of] Jammu and Kashmir. For durable peace, we need to resolve the Kashmir issue."

He was responding to CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yousuf Taragami's remarks that Pakistan should help bring down violence in the Kashmir Valley by using its influence over the militant groups. Mr. Taragami said India and Pakistan should facilitate the return of scores of Kashmiri youth who had crossed into Pakistan.

Mr. Abdullah said the Kashmiris were disappointed with the pace of the peace process. India should not shoot down proposals coming from Pakistan for a solution of the Kashmir issue no matter how "out of the box" they might be.

However, he suggested that they be discussed away from the media glare. He said his party backed a solution on the lines of greater autonomy on both sides of Jammu and Kashmir. In this context, he referred to the resolution passed by the State legislature in July 2000, a copy of which he presented to President Musharraf earlier in the day.

Mr. Abdullah made his disappointment clear at the Indian Government's decision to withhold hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's passport. "No damage would have been done if Mr. Geelani was given the passport. He would not have said anything here that he has not already said there."

`Forget yesterday'

On the question of human rights violations in Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah insisted it could not be taken in isolation and seen merely as the result of brutality and the Indian security forces.

In reply to a question, Abdul Ghani Bhat said the first step for a solution to the Kashmir issue was to go off the beaten track. "What we need to do is forget yesterday and ignore yesterday."

He said President Musharraf had articulated the heart of Kashmiris when he talked of demilitarisation, self-governance and joint management of the Himalayan region. Terming these as important measures that could go a long way, he said Kashmiris were still not clear on the first step. "A lot of spade work still needs to be done."

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