Well-known journalist, peace activist and former member of Rajya Sabha (India), Kuldip Nayyar, has proposed that both India and Pakistan should give maximum autonomy, minus foreign affairs, defence and currency, to the parts of Jammu and Kashmir under their respective control.
He made these observations at Eqbal Ahmad Distinguished Lecture on 'Possible Options on Kashmir' here on Sunday.
The lecture was jointly arranged by the Eqbal Ahmad Foundation and South Asian Free Media Association (Safma-Punjab). A former foreign minister of Pakistan, Assef Ahmad Ali, and journalist Najam Sethi were the discussants, while the lecture was also attended, among others, by Abida Hussain, Dr Akmal Hussain and others.
Kuldip said that the border between Azad Jammu & Kashmir and the Indian held Kashmir should be softened. He proposed that members of National Assembly elected from "Pakistan part of Kashmir" should be allowed to sit in 'Lok Sabha' of India, and Kashmiris elected from Indian held Jammu & Kashmir be allowed to sit in Pakistan's Lower House of the Parliament.
However, he said, sovereignty of the areas they have in their control should rest respectively with India and Pakistan. He said that India should be asked to withdraw its forces from Kashmir and the whole area be demilitarised, once this proposal is implemented and India is assured that there was no infiltration and terrorism.
The Indian peace activist was of the view that the solution of the Kashmir issue on the basis of religion or an 'independent Kashmir' would not be acceptable to Indians at any cost. He said that Indians were trying to establish a secular society in their country although incidents like Gujarat happened there. And that was why they (Indians) would not accept a religion-based solution to the issue.
Likewise, the idea of an 'independent Kashmir' would make some elements believe that Muslims did not want to live with India, he added.
Nayyar also claimed that Jammu & Kashmir might have become part of Pakistan had Pakistan not shown impatience in 1947 by sending its men to that part.
He also claimed that Nehru had conditioned to accept the accession announced by the Maharaja of Kashmir with the willingness of Sheikh Abdullah. He said that Abdullah, while talking to him (Nayyar), had claimed that he had agreed to join India because of its being a secular state.
He further claimed that Patel had also given a message to Pakistan to convince Hyderabad to join India, in exchange of Jammu & Kashmir.
He, however, admitted that Kashmiris had become alienated from India and there were also reports of human rights violations there.
Kuldip stressed the need for removing hatred from the hearts of the people of both sides, and especially the Pakistanis. He alleged that books in Pakistan contained anti-Hindu material. He said that when the earthquake hit Pakistan on October 8, there was genuine concern among the people across India and they wanted to help them at this difficult moment.
He said that India had learnt to live with Pakistan, and the Muslims, and this lesson should be learnt by Pakistan, too.
Assef Ahmed Ali said that a new 'national consensus' had emerged at every level in Pakistan. "Pakistanis are now thinking that they had retreated from their past position on Kashmir dispute and that the issue should be looked into with an open mind and be settled now," he said. However, he regretted that he did not see this spirit in New Delhi. He wished that such type of consensus should also be seen in India, too.
He claimed that progress in the peace process initiated by both countries was "mere symbolic" and the policies of India were opportunistic.
He said that 50 years' history of India and Pakistan was full of follies of Pakistan and treachery on the part of India.
According to him, during the last two-three years' peace process, there had been no serious progress on the issues like peace and security, and missiles and arms race, except exchange of information. As far as flexibility shown by President Musharraf on the outstanding issues was concerned, he said he was with him (Musharraf), but unfortunately the Indians had not reciprocated this good gesture, "not even on the issues like Baglihar dam and Sir Creek.
He was of the view that Saarc monitors could be deployed to check the alleged infiltration, which Pakistan has always denied.
Another discussant and journalist, Najam Sethi, expressed disagreement with Kuldip Nayyar regarding his claims that Pakistan could have the control of Jammu & Kashmir just by showing patience in 1947. He said that the formula given by Nayyar was not new, and a similar idea had been floated by an American diplomat in 1995-96, according to which India had to show flexibility in its stance over Kashmir.
Pervez Hoodbhoy of Eqbal Ahmad Foundation highlighted the activities of the Foundation, while Safma Secretary General Imtiaz Alam stressed the need for continuing the dialogue on the issue.
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