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Farooq wants to bury the hatchet, start anew on Kashmir

Seema Sirohi in Washington

As far as political messages go, it was loud and clear. But whether it was received by a distracted Clinton administration is another matter.

India is ready to accept the Line of Control in Kashmir as the international border and the Americans must tell their friends in Pakistan to start moving in the same direction. This was the basic thrust of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah's visit to Washington last week. He talked about peace in Kashmir but equally strongly highlighted Pakistan's continued support of terrorism.

Dr Abdullah talked deftly in a language that Americans are able to understand. Instead of "lecturing," he spoke practically with a sound knowledge of the ground situation. Addressing a wide cross-section of the political establishment, Dr Abdullah showed that India was prepared to carry the spirit of Lahore further and move towards a comprehensive peace with Pakistan.

He made it clear that India was ready to settle the Kashmir issue but since it takes two to tango, there should be some stocktaking on the other side of the border. The Lahore Declaration seems to have had little impact on the activities of the Inter Services Intelligence, which is said to finance and sustain terrorist activity in Kashmir.

The case of Pakistan as a country where terrorist groups operate with impunity was bolstered by the state department's 1998 report on Patterns of global terrorism, which coincidentally was released the day he addressed the National Press Club in Washington. The report named the Harkat-ul-Ansar, its descendant Harkat-ul-Mujahidin, Lashkar-i-Toiba and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi as groups that openly preach violence and recruit members. The report called Pakistan a "fertile ground" for militant and terrorist groups.

Even though the Clinton administration does not publicly denounce Pakistan, US officials privately admit that the ISI is a terrorist-producing machine gone out of control. Some even say the ISI runs the Pakistani foreign office since its influence is so pronounced.

The Americans no longer support Pakistan's quest for fighting an eternal battle over Kashmir. It is this strain in American thinking that Dr Abdullah was encouraging while pushing for a pragmatic and early end to the dispute.

He spoke passionately about the lives lost over the years in a battle that neither side can win. "Enough blood has been spilt. Let's call it a day."

This practical message was received well by US policy-makers because they fear Kashmir of causing yet another war between India and Pakistan. Since they went overtly nuclear last year, alarmist talk about a nuclear confrontation sparked by the Kashmir dispute has gained currency in Washington. Given the presence of nuclear weapons, there is little likelihood of either India wresting Pakistan occupied Kashmir or Pakistan finishing the "unfinished business of partition" by taking the entire state through war.

How does the chief minister feel about India's nuclear tests and ruling a state often called a "nuclear flashpoint?" Without missing a beat, he said it was important for India to demonstrate to its neighbours that it will not allow any breach of its borders. "They marched in once and took most of our territory. This time it won't be so easy. India will not use this deterrence just for the heck of it but only when there is nothing else left. All this talk of Kashmir being a nuclear flashpoint is nonsense. I do not see either India or Pakistan using these weapons because what we have built in 50 years will be blown in seconds."

If Dr Abdullah tailored his general message around peace, he delicately reminded the Americans that they too are victims of the same terrorist groups. He raised the issue of the four foreign hostages whose wives and girlfriends visit Kashmir every year searching for clues and hope. A fifth hostage was beheaded by members of Al-Faran, which claimed responsibility for the macabre act. Al-Faran, a shadowy group, was said to have links to Harkat-ul-Ansar but has not been heard from since the tourists disappeared.

Dr Abdullah asked if the Pakistani authorities were quick to hand over Mir Amal Kansi, the man accused of opening fire outside the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency a few years ago, so why not the kidnappers of American, British tourists. He repeatedly urged Pakistan to "let bygones be bygones" and close down the training camps for terrorists.

When a Pakistani diplomat asked how a movement could be sustained simply from outside, Dr Abdullah in turn asked if Pakistan cared about all the Muslims living in India or only the 4 million in Kashmir.

Can Pakistan live with the blood of millions of Muslims living else where in India whose lives will be threatened if there was a change in the status quo?

"Any change in today's boundaries will have not one Bosnia but many Bosnias. It is vital for the friends of both countries to realise that."

Dr Abdullah's characterisation of the Kashmir problem was stark but it served to make the point. This point has to be made repeatedly and at high levels. Even though India has been a victim of sustained and externally-financed terrorist attacks in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, successive Indian governments and ambassadors have failed to make a strong case abroad. Too often, too many opportunities have been lost in highlighting the raw violence unleashed by a bus massacre in Punjab or bomb blasts in a market place. US officials are able to blandly dismiss the violence as a "tit-for-tat" routine where both India and Pakistan are engaged in precisely the same activities.

Dr Abdullah was more articulate than the rest but unfortunately he is perceived as more bombast than substance. He talks a good game, observers here said, but his record is thin in terms of delivery.

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