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Kashmiri separatists may drop referendum call
Indian Kashmiri separatist leaders indicated they may abandon their 57-year stance on holding a referendum in the divided Himalayan region after meeting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Mirwaiz Omar Farooq of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella group of some two dozen parties, said a solution could emerge from outside a series of decades-old United Nations resolutions calling for a plebiscite. Until now the separatists have always backed the resolutions, which were adopted from 1948 onwards, as the only acceptable path to end the bitter dispute over the scenic territory. "It looks as if we are moving towards a negotiated settlement. We have to move from our traditional positions," Farooq told AFP after a group of moderate separatists met Musharraf late Tuesday. The Hurriyat leaders are making an unprecedented visit to the Pakistani side of the border as part of a peace process launched between Pakistan and India last year. "We support the step by step strategy and we understand that a solution to the problem cannot be found in one go. We are very hopeful after meeting with Musharraf." Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in full. It has caused two of the three wars between the nuclear-armed neighbours since their independence from Britain in 1947. At that time Kashmir was an independent state. But when Pakistani tribal rebels raided the region, Kashmir's Hindu ruler hurriedly acceded to India. The UN resolutions were passed shortly afterwards, calling for a plebiscite in the whole of Kashmir, which could lead to the state either joining Pakistan or India. There is no independence option. India, however, insists the resolutions have become irrelevant, a view shared by most major powers. The separatists, meanwhile, all want to split from India, with most seeking to join Pakistan and a minority seeking full independence. Official media quoted Musharraf as saying after the meeting that Pakistan would not accept a status quo in Kashmir and would continue its efforts to seek a solution in line with the aspiration of the people of Kashmir. Musharraf said a solution which was acceptable to Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir would have to be found. "We talked about different proposals. It was a very productive meeting," Hurriyat leader Farooq said without elaborating. "We agreed on two things, that the status quo is unacceptable and the Line of Control cannot be made a permanent border." Indian leaders have ruled out any redrawing of borders while Pakistan rejects making a permanent border of the existing ceasefire line in Kashmir, known as the Line of Control. However Musharraf has frequently said both sides would have to show flexibility and courage and last year he put forth a set of options including the demilitarization of parts of Kashmir. Farooq said the Kashmiri leadership supported the dialogue process between Pakistan and India and wanted to be part of it. The Hurriyat leader's statement showed the Kashmiri leadership was willing to be flexible and look beyond the traditional solution as set out in the United Nations resolutions, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. "However, the Hurriyat wants to be an equal partner with India and Pakistan for evolving such an acceptable solution," Askari, who is former head of the Political Science Department at Punjab University in Lahore, said. He said Pakistan was willing to accommodate the Kashmiri leadership in the negotiations but India had so far avoided addressing this question. |
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