Obama Should Nudge India Towards Early Resolution of Kashmir Issue
American Clout With India
Even though the US has come to exercise considerable political influence over India in recent years, it has shied away from using it to play an active role to help find a solution of the Kashmir dispute that has undermined relations between India and Pakistan ever since the two countries became independent in 1947. The issue continues to bedevil peace in this region.
India increasingly relies on the US for its technology, nuclear collaboration, investment and upgrading of its defence arsenal. The US for its part eyes India as a huge market and a key partner in its future regional geostrategic framework. The US has even being trying to create a role for India in Afghanistan where none exists and which the Indians love to have in order to promote their regional power status and keep Pakistan cornered. This has brought the two countries much closer than ever before.
India Rejects Obama’s Interest In The Kashmir Issue
Candidate Barack Obama was convinced, and rightly so, that the US regional interests would be better served in South Asia if the major cause of conflict – Kashmir, could be removed, thus eliminating the possibility of the two nuclear armed neighbors coming to blows again and encouraging them to devote their energies and resources to development. Upon taking office, President Obama went on to float the idea of naming an American special envoy for Kashmir to explore a US role in facilitating a settlement.
Showing aversion to third party arbitration or mediation, India has consistently refused Pakistan’s proposals in this regard. This time too, India’s noisy protests caused Obama to back off for fear of upsetting the Indians. Ambassador Holbrooke was subsequently confined to overseeing American interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan, or AfPak as the State Department preferred to call it. The pity is that India adamantly refuses to settle the dispute bilaterally either.
India’s Refusal To Reach A Settlement With Pakistan
Pakistan’s offer for a paradigm shift in considering new proposals acceptable to India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people did not draw a positive response. President Musharraf’s plea for out-of-the-box thinking fell on deaf ears. In the sporadic and inconclusive bilateral dialogue that India has held with Pakistan over many decades, its leadership has been taking one step forward and two steps backwards. As a consequence there remains an impasse.
Although of late a realization seems to be emerging in the senior Indian leadership for the need to explore common ground in search of a solution, weak decision making at the prime-ministerial level has stood in the way. There has been a lack of will, so to say, that is attributable to the very nature of coalition governments that have ruled at the center in recent times. Major coalition parties have had to make substantial concessions to smaller partners who have espoused an extremist anti-Pakistan agenda.
This resulted in a lost opportunity to move towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in July 2001. After a joint declaration about the solution of the Kashmir dispute had been worked out between Prime Minister Vajpayee and then Pakistani President Musharraf after secret back-channel talks and both of them were about to sign it on conclusion of the Agra summit, the whole effort was scuttled at the last moment by the hawks within the Indian prime minister’s camp. In retrospect, perhaps the Indian prime minister must now be regretting his inability to seize that historic moment and bring peace.
Need For Strong Indian Leadership
Therefore, what is needed in this historical constellation is strong leadership that can decisively act, not shirk from bold and timely decisions and move away from traditional enemy stereotypes and attitude of deep mistrust. It is important that mainstream Indian leadership should refuse to succumb to Hindu extremists who, in spite of being a small minority, have historically held Indo-Pakistan relations hostage to their agenda of hate and animosity. It is time that the will of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir is given preference over positions taken by extremist quarters, for the future of South Asia is at stake.
It might be of help if India’s friends could play a supportive role. The dispute that has been hanging fire for 63 years cannot be swept under the carpet and will continue to threaten peace. It would be in the interest of all parties to the conflict and the US which has a geo-strategic interest in this region that India moves towards reconciliation.
Why Is Settlement Of Kashmir Dispute In the American Interest?
The upcoming visit of President Obama to India in November presents him an ideal opportunity to pick up the thread of his efforts to help secure a deal on Kashmir. There are cogent reasons why President Obama should renew his interest.
Kashmir has been on his agenda from day one and now the need for a fair solution is increasingly felt by the Congress too because of concerns about human rights violations, the arms race in South Asia, and the fear of nuclear conflict.
“During the presidential campaign, President Obama pledged … that solving the ‘Kashmir crisis’ was one of his ‘critical tasks’. So far, this has been a promise unfulfilled,” said Congressman Dan Burton, a Republican from Indiana who believes that this has direct impact on the global war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said he believed that “an end to the violence and uncertainty in Kashmir would be widely welcomed in India and Pakistan as well as by our military commanders in Afghanistan.”
“Regrettably, the conflict has garnered little attention from the American media and zero attention from the White House,” Burton said in his speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives recently.
That the people of Kashmir want independence from Indian rule has been established by independent polls conducted by international agencies time and again. The people have voiced their will loud and clear and have shown determination to gain independence even in the face of atrocities perpetrated by the state and unbelievable violations of human rights for the last six decades. India unsuccessfully tries to suppress it with a 700,000 strong army and police force brutally garrisoning the valley.
“Grave breaches of humanitarian law continued unabated in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Civilian casualties which include women, children and people of all ages have reached over 100,000 since January of 1990,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director, Kashmiri American Council, while lecturing on, “The Humanitarian Crisis in Kashmir” at Wilmington, Delaware.
This unrest is assuming troubling dimensions, getting out of hand and promising to tarnish the image of the world’s ‘biggest democracy’ with the stone-throwing Kashmiri youth now engaging the Indian army and getting killed in the process – a Kashmiri version of the first Palestinian intifada of the late 1980s. With negotiations between Karzai government and the Taliban likely to succeed one way or the other and with the Americans forces getting ready to withdraw, the Jehadis in Afghanistan would most certainly be free to turn their attention to Kashmir in response to calls for help. India would then find this Jehadist Frankenstein impossible to deal with.
This spread of terrorism in Kashmir, and possibly in India, would prove counterproductive for US interests in South Asia. To be able to face up to China in the long term as America’s proxy power, India has to grow economically, overcome pervasive poverty and gain strength militarily. An India at risk of getting involved in another conflict with Pakistan and Jehadis knocking at its door in aid of the Kashmiris is not what the US wants to see.
Besides, by keeping the issue alive, India does not even help Pakistan to isolate and neutralize extremist elements that seek to gain control and destabilize the region through terrorism.
Therefore for the success of the US policy framework that encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, the Kashmir component is more urgent and critical today than it ever was and hence the need for Obama to nudge India towards a settlement. And this does not amount to mediation or arbitration.
Obama Can Do It
President Obama has the image, the ability and the leverage to do this, and the Indian top leadership would listen to him when he meets it in November. He will have to push the issue firmly without being fearful of annoying the Indians, something that has been holding him back. They cannot really afford to derail their cooperation with the US.
By working behind the scenes, he could subtly lead New Delhi to complete the unfinished agenda of Manmohan Singh and Musharraf, on which a great deal of home work is already done and which Pakistan should also welcome. If successful, this would open a new chapter in the history of relationship between these old rivals and bring relief to the people of Kashmir, who have suffered long enough.
Kashmiris Have Goodwill For America And The United Nations
It would be worthwhile for President Obama to know that Kashmir happens to be one of the few places in the Muslim world that still has considerable goodwill for the US. Even the Kashmiri hardliners like Syed Ali Shah Geelani have repeatedly appealed to the US to use its influence for resolving the Kashmir issue. Unlike Palestine, where a similar struggle for independence is underway, one does not hear anti-American slogans in Kashmir.
And despite the fact that the UN has failed to deliver on its resolutions on Kashmir or rescue the Kashmiri people from the brutalities of Indian security forces, they still repose confidence in this world body, while the rest of the world dismisses it as only a debating club. This was visible during the 2008 non-violent uprising in Kashmir when people carried banners and placards reading “Ban Ki Moon, Come Soon, Come Soon.”
Will you then, President Obama, please listen to these people, for they are in misery and stand in need of your help? Let not their faith in your leadership be in vain.
Correction appended: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at the Agra summit in 2001. The Indian Prime Minister at the time was Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and it was Vajpayee who met with Musharraf. The error has been corrected above.
Shahid Siddiqui would be well advised to do a little background research before rushing to press to air his opinions. The Agra Summit was between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee. Manmohan Singh was yet to make an appearance as the Prime Minister. Such callous disregard of basic facts that are even a Wikipedia away from confirmation makes clear the author is masquerading his personal biases as an informed commentary on the Kashmir issue.
Here you go again. An ex Pakistani air force guy who talks about the kashmir issue. Everybody knows that Pakistan is least interested in kashmiris or anybody’s human rights. I would suggest Mr Shahid to first start working to stop pakistan’s support for terrorists since it has backfired and already ripping apart the fabric in his own country and have turned pakistanis into beggars.
Shahid like his pakistani compatriots are jealous and suffer a inferiority complex. He should first look at the progress of Indians and Indian Americans.
India will reach a settlement with pakistan or any country on its own terms. No power on earth can change this or influence India.
Keep dreaming Mr Shahid.
786:
DEAR FRIEND I WAS BORN IN INDIA, STUDIED IN INDIA IN MY EARLY DAYS, SAW THE BRITISH RAJ, SAW THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT, IN A STUDENT RALLY FOR FREEDOM MOVEMENT IN RAMPUR STATE. WE STUDENTS WERE HOLDING EACH OTHERS HANDS. FELLOW STUDENT HOLDING MY LEFT HAND WAS SHOT BY A POLICE OFFICER AND DIED.
WHAT I WANT TO SRESS ON YOU MY FRIENDS IS , WE WERE TOGETHER IN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT, NOW THAT WE ARE MEMBERS OF OUR OWN INDEPENDENT NATIONS, LET US LIVE LIKE GOOD NEIGHBOURS AND BROTHERS LIKE WE LIVED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE 1947. THIS COULD ONLY BE DONE IF WE AREHONEST IN OUR DEALINGS.
GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON, WHY KASHMIRIS SHOULD NOT HAVE INDEPENDANCE LIKE WE GOT IN 1947.
Mr. Shahid should be well informed to know that the back channel negotiation taking place between representatives of Dr. Manmohan Sing and Gen. Pervez Musharraf was broke down due to internal problems faced by Gen Musharraf at the time and not on account of backing off by Dr. Manmohan Singh.
It seems that proper research has not been made by Mr. Shahid before posting this article.
If Obama does does not bring India to stop its atrocities against the Kashmiris, then J&K should declare independence and let the freedom fighter loose, let them cross the border from over Afghanistan and Pakistan into J&K and let them fight it out. Pakistanis at the sametime should announce that ‘now we have closed the door of third party mediation’ and should not listen to anybody as India like always would run say to UN to ask Pakistan to stop as it did in 1948. Let the freedom fighters fight it out with India million forces. I am sure the freedom fighters will hound them down like the did to russian. There should be no mercy whatsoever to Indians. Raj, yes its Raj from Pakistan.
My Hindu friends attack the writer on a personal level but I do not see a single comment that challenges his reasoning. This does not lead you anywhere my friends. You merely appear to be apologists for the perpetrator of cruelty and injustice – the Indian government.
There are people in India who have conscience. Want to read their opinion? Read this:
BY ARUNDHATI ROY| Monday, 25 October 2010.
SRINAGAR, Indian-Occupied Kashmir—I write this from Srinagar, Kashmir. This morning’s papers say that I may be arrested on charges of sedition for what I have said at recent public meetings on Kashmir. I said what millions of people here say every day. I said what I, as well as other commentators have written and said for years. Anybody who cares to read the transcripts of my speeches will see that they were fundamentally a call for justice. I spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world; for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland; for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore; for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state.
Yesterday I traveled to Shopian, the apple-town in South Kashmir which had remained closed for 47 days last year in protest against the brutal rape and murder of Asiya and Nilofer, the young women whose bodies were found in a shallow stream near their homes and whose murderers have still not been brought to justice. I met Shakeel, who is Nilofer’s husband and Asiya’s brother. We sat in a circle of people crazed with grief and anger who had lost hope that they would ever get ‘insaaf’ – justice – from India, and now believed that Azadi – freedom – was their only hope. I met young stone-pelters who had been shot through their eyes. I traveled with a young man who told me how three of his friends, teenagers in Anantnag district, had been taken into custody and had their finger-nails pulled out as punishment for throwing stones.
In the papers some have accused me of giving ‘hate-speeches’, of wanting India to break up. On the contrary, what I say comes from love and pride. It comes from not wanting people to be killed, raped, imprisoned or have their finger-nails pulled out in order to force them to say they are Indians. It comes from wanting to live in a society that is striving to be a just one. Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice, while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.”
Arundhati Roy is an Indian Nobel laureate opposed to her country’s occupation of Kashmir. This comment was published by SOS Kashmir
One thing that is glaringly missing in your account is the disastrous role played by Pakistani backed militants and how that played a massive role in destroying the lifestyle of the Kashmiris.
Before 88-89, there was discontent against Indian rule, but there was no Army presence, no 700,000 soldiers and no atrocities happening that you mentioned of.
It was only after the Punjabi/Afghani militants that Pakistan sent across the border after AFghan war that swamped and took over the Kashmiri movement and basically turned a movement for Independence to a takfeeri pro-Pakistan movement. Any Kashmir that was pro-independance or pro-Indian was killed or intimidated and threatened. Out of the 100,000 civilians, soldiers and militants killed, well over 30,000 have been killed by militants.
This interference by Pakistan aggravated the problem. Hence this is why Kashmiris have unanimously rejected joining Pakistan in any scenario except a few fringe elements.
Besides your comment on surveys was not completely accurate. Only the valley part of Jammu Kashmir is pro-independence. If you take the entire state of Jammu Kashmir, 45% is. Muslim Gujjars and Bakerwals as well as those resident in Jammu and Kargil are pro-India. The valley is only a part of the entire region of Jammu Kashmir and consists of 4.5 million people. While the entire population of the state is around 11 million.
Mr. InformedComment,
Thank you for pointing out the error about the name of the Indian prime minister. It has been corrected.
However, this was a minor error and does not merit the rejection of the contents of the article. Challenge me on the facts and the conclusions I draw and I will be happy to concede if I am wrong.
I suggest you also read the comment of Tammy above who quotes Ms. Arundhati Roy, a very credible Hindu Nobel Laureate. I would like you, and others who reject my article as emotionalism, to challenge her with facts and not rhetoric. She has also said what I maintain.
You’ve got too much wrong Mr Siddique. Also once again you show how shallow your knowledge is. Ms A Roy is neither credible, nor a Hindu and neither a Nobel Laureate. She’s a Christian.
Foreign Policy Journal would do it’s reputation better by taking you and your biased half baked articles of it’s blogs.
Where did you get this nutcase from?
1) You say “Challenge me on facts”. What do you think he did when he mentions your Agra summit folly.
2) What makes you think Arundhati Roy is credible? If she is then I am no less.
3) You say “Challenge me on facts”. Arundhati Roy is christian and its a fact. Again wikipedia would have told you that.
4) Can you please point me to the year when she became a nobel laureate. Again challenging you on the FACT you talk about.
Dude you need to understand what FACT means first.
Mr Siddiqi, I am sure you know who Obama is. Please let me add a bit on this score. He is a Zionist and a war criminal whose hands are sullied with the blood of hundreds of innocent Pakistanis, who have been and are being targeted by the US drone missile attacks. Obama does not stand for kill first and answer later. He stands for to kill by mechanical robots and that’s the end of the matter. No questions about such crimes are allowed. Even Hitler will be amused!
Will Obama do anything to stop India from its barbarian atrocities in Kashmir and seek a solution to the Kashmir issue? I think, we should come out of such make-believe world of illusions. He wouldn’t do anything of the sort. There are many reasons for that. At present American imperialism, India’s Hindutva leadership and the Zionist rulers of Israel are close strategic and military partners. Such developments need our analysis and attention because they represent the facts on the ground.
As far as the present Pakistani rulers are concerned, they are pawns in the hands of the Washington ringmasters. They dance to the tunes or the crack of the whip of the CIA obediently. Pakistani army in Waziristan has been acting as as a mercenary force killing and destroying its own people at the behest of the American warmongers — the New Cusaders. Such are the facts of the power politics and the New Word Order of America and the Zionist overlords.
Get a life Mr. Siddiqui, please. Go fly a kite or take a walk in the park or watch a movie. But have fun.
Yes, the USA MUST not only nudge India towards a Kashmir resolution, but if MUST force it to do so. The correct way for the USA to compel India to resolve Kashmir would be pass a bill in the US Congress demanding India take back Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) by force. There are 42 documented terrorist camps in POK confirmed by the CIA which are used by Al Qaida/Taliban to train terrorists with the support of Pakistan’s ISI. These are threat to American and lives of other civilized countries. Pakistan’s perfidy, USA prevarication and India’s pusiliminity over the past 60 years has caused a lot misery in Kashmir. This MUST end. Kashmir MUST be resolved and the Indian multicultural, multiplurism must be regin supreme over the fundamentalist islamsit in the region.
Kashmir (& Pakistan) was Hindu territory for thousands of years before the foreign Islamic Invasion. The Turko-Arab-Perisian (TAP’s) invaders created a skin color based caste system when they invaded the Indian subcontinent. They naturally placed themselves as the rulers and bureaucrats. The remnants of these foreigners are now claiming territory from Indians. Note the Kashmiri Hindus are the original inhabitants of Kashmir and they were kicked out by the TAP middle easterner occupiers. This proves that it’s about foreign occupation, not “Kashmiri” culture.
In private Kashmir is a non-issue for them, they want to restore a Caliphate in India and Arabize/ Islamize the religion and culture of the land. In their eyes, diversity of religion/culture is unacceptable.
“Arundati” Roy is actually Susan Roy, a far-left marxist. She is also partly middle-eastern in heritage and views the native culture and religions of India with disdain. Hardly an opinion that has much weight.
Naturally, the natives of the subcontinent must resist and defend their territory from foreign aggression.
Shahid:
Arundhati Roy’s is Christian. Her first name is Suzanna, her first husband was Christian as was her mother who raised her. Her Bengali father was based in Shillong while she grew in her maternal native place (Kerala).
Regardless of her religion, her views little or no significance in this discussion. She is a publicity seeker whose becomes relevant only when she is active in a controversy.
The back-channel negotiations fell apart when Mush departed and according to Pakistani foreign-office’s recent comments, they have no record of those!
Regarding settlement of Kashmir: The only issue which is the return of the POK and COK to the India. The vocal valley Sunni Kashmiris who are interested in separating from India can and should migrate to the homeland of the Muslims, the great nation of Pakistan. The Shia’s, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, the Hindus and the Christians have no interest in anything else. This was confirmed by multiple surveys done by Anglo organizations, who were sympathetic to the Pakistani viewpoint (to their shock and surprise).
And unfortunately, the US has little leverage to force India to do anything on Kashmir. They have been trying for more than 60 years.
Hindus will be taught a lesson by Jihadi forces. Victory will be ours. We don’t need american support.
Tammy sister, you are very wise. Would you like to marry a fearless jihadi?
786:
YOU CALL HER SISTER, THEN YOU OFFER YOUR HAND IN MARRIAGE.
CALM DOWN FRIED.
@ – ALL paranoid Indians afraid of talking on the real issue –
Okay so the author made a mistake that she’s a Nobel laureate… big whop! Everyone reading this gets it… that she’s not! Get over it! Stop making that the issue and stop trying to shift the focus from the real issue at hand “Indian held Kashmir and the atrocities committed against the people by Indian establishments”
She is an Indian whether you like it or not! Yes, your countrywoman and being Hindu/Christian/Jew or Muslim has nothing to do with credibility. What important is what she stands for – against the atrocities the Indians and Indian government/Armed Forces has been committing against the People of Indian held Kashmir. If you want to challenge the author or anyone else on that then come up with some real substance and we can chat/argue about that… let’s talk about the Indian policies regarding the Indian held Kashmir where supposedly world largest democratic country doesn’t offer any rights to the people within their own borders… Indian held Kashmir is a real issue and just killing them will not make the issue or voice of freedom go away and it’s about time for all you Indians to learn and live with the fact that there is a Pakistan and its here to stay. Again the real issue here is still Indian held Kashmir and the killing the innocent people in the region and not whether someone is “Nobel laureate” or not… just in case you are interested here are the awards she has won thus far and you are encouraged to confirm them from Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundhati_Roy
Arundhati Roy’s accomplishments/Awards:
Arundhati Roy was awarded the 1997 Booker Prize for her novel The God of Small Things. The award carried a prize of about US $30,000[57] and a citation that noted, ‘The book keeps all the promises that it makes.'[58] Prior to this, she won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1989, for the screenplay of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones.[59]
In 2002, she won the Lannan Foundation’s Cultural Freedom Award for her work “about civil societies that are adversely affected by the world’s most powerful governments and corporations,” in order “to celebrate her life and her ongoing work in the struggle for freedom, justice and cultural diversity.”[60]
Roy was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in May 2004 for her work in social campaigns and her advocacy of non-violence.
In January 2006, she was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, a national award from India’s Academy of Letters, for her collection of essays on contemporary issues, The Algebra of Infinite Justice, but she declined to accept it “in protest against the Indian Government toeing the US line by ‘violently and ruthlessly pursuing policies of brutalisation of industrial workers, increasing militarisation and economic neo-liberalisation.'”[61]
786: MY DEAR HONORABLE COMMENTATORS ON THE ABOVE ARTICLE, YOU HAVE LIVED UP TO THE GREAT INDIAN PRACTICE OF ALLWAYS CONFUSING THE IMPORTANT ISSUES UNDER THE IRRELEVENT SMALL MATTERS.
DEAR LEARNED COMMENTATORS, MR. SIDDIQI IS TRYING TO WAKE YOU UP FROM YOUR FALSE DREEMS OF THINKING THAT YOU WILL KEEP THE KASHMIR AS YOURS WITH THE HELP OF YOUR MILITERY MIGHT.
NO, MY FRIENDS YOU AND WE GOT INDEPENDENCE FROM MIGHTY BRITISH WHEN THEY WERE CELEBRATING THEIR GRAND VICTORY IN THE 2ND WORLDWAR AND YOU AND WE GOT FREEDOM NOT WITH ARMS & AMMUNATION, BUT BECAUSE OUR CAUSE WAS JUST AND WE HAD THE
RIGHT TO GOVERN IN TERRITORIES WHERE WE WERE IN MAJORITY.
YOU GOT JUNAGARH, HYDRABAD ETC ETC BECAUSE YOU WERE IN MAJORITY THERE THOUGH THE RULERS WERE MUSLIMS, AND HENCE KASHMIRIS SHOULD GET THEIR INDEPENDENCE BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THUMPING MAJORITY.
IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE AND FAIRPLAY, AND BECAUSE OF THE UNO DOCUMENT WHICH WAS SIGHNED BY A GREAT LEADER OF YOURS MR. JAWAHER LAL NEHRU, A GREAT PILLER OF INDEPENCE MOVEMENT OF INDIAN SU CONTINENT.
WHAT WAS GOOD FOR YOU AND WE, SHOULD BE GOOD FOR KASHMIRIS AS WELL.
Well written article, though the views are questionable. Kashmir deserves to be “independent”, and both Indian and Pakistani leadership will do good to research the meaning of “Independence”. It is high time the two nations stopped considering Kashmir their playground and gave the land the true freedom that it deserves.
hey . nice site.. keep it
One more issue is that video games usually are serious in nature with the principal focus on understanding rather than fun. Although, we have an entertainment factor to keep your children engaged, each and every game is generally designed to work with a specific set of skills or curriculum, such as math or technology. Thanks for your post.
I think the USA are slowly starting to get what they did wrong so far and are trying to improve their situation. This will be really hard and a long way to go.