The Hindu : National : Resolution lies in addressing post-1989 situation, says Lone

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Resolution lies in addressing post-1989 situation, says Lone

Special Correspondent

His party's Vision Document draws a roadmap for settling Kashmir issue

— Photo: Nissar Ahmad

Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone displays his party's Vision Document in Srinagar on Saturday.

SRINAGAR: People's Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone on Saturday unveiled his party's Vision Document, drawing a roadmap for resolving the Kashmir issue. He said the resolution lay in addressing the situation which arose after 1989 and not 1947. He was ready to discuss his "eclectic model" with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf.

Releasing the 295-page document "Achievable Nationhood" here, Mr. Lone said it was not final. "I am ready to discuss it with Dr. Singh and Gen. Musharraf and other parties in Jammu and Kashmir including separatists and mainstream," he said. "If I get an invitefrom Dr. Singh I will surely accept it."

The document, prepared after eight months of work, sought to find a "just and amicable solution" dealing with all the parts of the State as it existed on August 14, 1947.

Five relationships

His vision " is based on relationships between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, Srinagar and Islamabad, Srinagar and New Delhi, New Delhi and Islamabad and Muzaffarabad and New Delhi." In a shift from the way separatists perceive a resolution, Mr. Lone said: "Our perception is that history was made irrelevant by the situation which erupted with an armed struggle in 1989. History and U.N. Resolutions were dead and buried and it was the pain, sacrifices and sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which revived an issue which was presumed dead."

The year 1947 "has been relegated to the role of a witness and it indicates that a dispute exists but the methodology in 1947 to resolve the dispute failed and more than one lakh people died because of that."

Mr. Lone said "1947 dealt with land only but 1989 deals with land and the people; 1947 meant two options of either going with India or Pakistan but 1989 meant three options, the other being independent Kashmir." The context of the dispute was historical till 1989 and sacrificial since.

Multidimensional

The People's Conference formula was multidimensional and dealt with evolution of power in both parts of Kashmir, and not devolution. The party looked at 50 models but "Hong Kong was the best model, besides the Good Friday agreement. But it is ultimately up to the people to ratify any solution."

The document advocates an economic union of both parts of Kashmir, where there could be free trade without restrictions from either India or Pakistan.

Sacrifices and aspirations of the people were the theme of the document. "We talk about erosion [that] took place here and power structure, which came into existence across the Line of Control, and how aspirations were outsourced in 1947 either to India and Pakistan by our leadership" Mr. Lone said. "We also try to look at how leadership was developed by India and Pakistan for the people and even today these leaders are being developed and not identified".

Mr. Lone said a resident of Jammu and Kashmir needed to be flexible. "Majority sentiment is for an independent homeland." Two other strands of sentiment were for India and for Pakistan.

On violence, he said, "If there has been violence it had social sanctity, society approved it and it was not a social stigma."

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