In a new twist to the interpretation of the Kashmir issue, the US today said the resolution of the Kashmir issue should take into account the “wishes of the Kashmiri people”, virtually endorsing on Indian soil, Pakistan’s stand.
US Undersecretary of State William Burns told a press conference here after discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the “pace, scope and character” of the Indo-Pak dialogue, suspended since last year’s Mumbai terror attacks, should be decided by the leaders of the two countries.
“The US has always welcomed dialogue between India and Pakistan. But it is also obvious that pace, scope and character of that dialogue is something Indian and Pakistani leaders have to decide. And how and when to approach that dialogue is also something for them to decide,” he said. This was unexceptionable.
But when he was asked about Pakistan returning to the position that nothing could be resolved without the core question of Kashmir being dealt with first, Burns’ position was a new one for the US: that “any resolution has to take into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people”.
The implication of this position is that the Kashmiri people’s wishes — and they are both on the Indian and Pakistani side — still require to be ascertained.
India’s stated position has been that the Kashmiri people, by voting in successive Indian elections, have shown that they have no faith on the two-nation theory of division on the basis of religion.
It has been Pakistan’s case that the wishes of the Kashmiri people should be ascertained through a plebiscite.
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The US statement is consistent with a general Democrat view that nationalities across the world should have greater rights of self determination. In the South Asia region, however, this view hasn’t been heard for the last 10 years, when the Republicans had been in power in the US.
During the first presidency of Bill Clinton, it was India’s nuclear tests that preoccupied the US; and the Kargil war dominated the second phase. This formulation — that the Kashmiri people are a distinct group from the Indian people in general — has been dredged up after more than a decade. It takes the matter back a considerable distance in history.
As it has been formulated, it also ignores all the developments which have taken place in the interregnum: India’s statement that borders should be made irrelevant and Pakistan’s endorsement of it, the huge strides made by the backroom negotiators, the track II and people to people moves, the progress on the composite dialogue and the acceptance on both sides of the border that Kashmir cannot be ‘resolved’ but needs to be ‘managed’.
However, it is consistent with the approach that Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) is a composite problem that can be resolved if there is some comfort on the Kashmir issue. Burns, the first high-ranking US official to visit India after the recent elections, handed over a letter from President Barack Obama to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but declined to divulge its content. He also said that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton would visit India in July. On the issue of resuming dialogue with Pakistan, Burns referred to the “important statement” made by the Prime Minister in Parliament two days back in which Singh had said that India would meet the Pakistani leadership “more than half-way on the road to peace” if action is taken against terrorism. Noting that Pakistan came up for discussions often during his meetings over the last two days here, Burns said Pakistan should act “firmly” and “urgently” to crack down on terrorists “whatever their aim” may be.
He was responding when pointed out by a questioner that India was disappointed that Pakistan was not doing enough to crack down on terrorism directed against this country.
Besides meeting the Prime Minister, Burns met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Home Minister P Chidambaram, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and held detailed talks with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon. Burns said his talks over the last two days here had been “very constructive and extensive”, covering aspects like civil nuclear initiative, defence cooperation, intelligence sharing and science and technology.
An invitation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit the US was also extended in the letter that was sent by Obama to the Prime Minister.