Issue No. 604
International
Previous issue
Site map
|
|
19 - 25 September 2002 Issue No. 604 International |
Current issue Previous issue Site map | |
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Tug-of-war over Kashmir
The world worries about the impending strike against Iraq, but India and Pakistan focus on Kashmir, writes Iffat Malik from Islamabad
While most heads of state attending the United Nations General Assembly last week focused on the growing threat of war in Iraq, Pakistani and Indian leaders remained fixated on the problem closer to home: Kashmir. State assembly elections in Indian-held Kashmir start on 16 September and have already triggered a renewed war of words between the traditional foes. The Indian government announced elections for the 87-member Indian-Kashmiri state legislature on 2 August.
Pakistan, as well as the main Kashmiri Muslim parties, claim that India is ruling against the will of the Kashmiri people. Kashmiri Muslims and Pakistanis both demand that UN resolutions on Kashmir, which call for a Kashmiri vote on whether to join India or Pakistan, be implemented. India claims that ratification of Kashmir’s accession to India by the state assembly made the state an "integral and permanent part of the Indian Union". These elections are in a large measure about testing the veracity of the conflicting Pakistani and Indian claims. Some pundits suggest a low turn-out by the Kashmiri people would be a rejection of Indian rule. Whereas a high turn-out would suggest acceptance.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), the umbrella organisation of the Kashmiri Muslim parties opposed to Indian rule, considered participating in the elections. But instead, the group decided to continue its existing strategy of boycotting elections, and demanding a vote by the public on the future of Kashmir.
Some militant groups, who oppose elections, have been fighting for secession from India since 1989. In the past, these groups have enforced their boycott of the elections by attacking voting citizens and candidates. However, the Indian authorities also used violence to coerce people to vote. In the last elections, it was reported that soldiers marched Kashmiris at gun point to polling booths.
The APHC and other militant groups are using violence to enforce a boycott on the latest round of elections. On Wednesday, 11 September, 13 people died in violence surrounding election activities. Two candidates have been killed including, one member of the ruling National Conference and Sheikh Abdul-Rehman, an independent candidate. Some estimate that 300 people have been killed since elections were announced on 2 August.
It is clear that incidents like the murder of Mushtaq Ahmed Lone of the National Conference will deter candidates from running in the elections and ordinary people from voting. New Delhi is trying to preserve the integrity of the elections by bolstering security. These efforts include staggering the elections into four stages. The first stage took place on 16 September. The remaining stages will take place on 24 September, 8 and 10 October. India has moved thousands of security personnel into the state for added security.
In addition to added security there is a much greater press and diplomatic presence in the region than was present at the last elections. This will make it difficult for India to coerce Kashmiris to the polls. In an address to the UN General Assembly President Musharraf hinted at fears of election-tampering by India. He also claimed that Indian aggression made southeast Asia "the most dangerous place on earth today".
Musharraf proposed a three-point plan for peace. He proposed a mutual withdrawal of forces from the line-of-control (LOC), a cease-fire and a "cessation of India’s state terrorism against the Kashmiri people". Musharraf emphasised that the Kashmiri struggle against Indian rule originates in Kashmir and not Pakistan.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Vajpayee spent most of his time countering Musharraf's accusations. "If the elections are a mere fraud, why are terrorists being trained and infiltrated into India, at the command of the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan, to kill candidates and to intimidate voters?" He further accused Pakistan of threatening India with nuclear weapons. "In our south Asian region, nuclear blackmail has emerged over the last few months as a new arrow in the quiver of state-sponsored terrorism."
Many placed great hopes on Musharraf and Vajpayee being in the same place and perhaps being able to cut through the quagmire in face-to-face discussions. After hearing the speeches of the two leaders those hopes were dashed. New Delhi, Islamabad and the international community will now await the Kashmir elections. Everything from voter turn-out to the final results will be indicative of the future of Kashmir. As one diplomat put it, "this is an opportunity to really understand the options that are available to the Kashmiri people and their intentions."
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
