A Different Story

I liked and agree with the core thesis of this article: ``Kashmir is not a bi-lateral issue, but a domestic issue.``

Good job, Mr. Khan.

Now, let Indo-Pak finger-pointing begin!

Cheers :-)

Since when did the Indian subcontinent become ``South Asian`` subcontinent ... What`s next - South Asian Ocean, South Asian summer, South Asian ink....????

RE: tintin #2

Exactly my thought.

Time to stop this ``South Asian`` nonsense!

I had expected something other than Kashmir from the title of this article. Neither is South Asia limited to India and Pakistan, nor is Kashmir the only issue facing the region. In fact, as Chairman Mao said, let us leave this dispute for a generation wiser than ours. There is a lot which can be done in the rest of India, Pakistan and other SAARC nations until the Kashmiris realize that their great ``Kashmiriyat`` is nothing more than what the rest of South Asians call common decency.

All this religious, cultural nonsense and historical baggage in the region can be washed away with economic growth as in the west, east and south east asia. Let`s concentrate on a massive expansion in infrastructure; building of expressways, railways, ports, court houses, schools, hospitals, in the region and promote entrepreneurship among every section of society. This will bring about true winds of change.

Ashish

I read this interesting article in the NY times today which had a reference to the India/Pakistan conflict in 1971. Following is an excerpt from the article which relates to tapes recorded secretly during Nixon`s presidency. Makes for interesting reading. The entire article can be found at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/politics/AP-Nixon-Tapes.html

Excerpt Begins:

``Publicly, the Nixon administration was neutral in the India-Pakistan war, but in a phone call with Bush on Dec. 8, 1971, it is clear the administration sided with Pakistan.

``India, in spite of it`s sanctimony, was really the aggressor,`` Bush told Nixon.

Nixon replied: ``God, you know, the Indians put on this sanctimonious, peace, Gandhi-like, Christlike attitude (like) they`re the greatest, the world`s biggest democracy and Pakistan is one of the most horrible dictatorships.``

Nixon said he didn`t approve of all the actions of Pakistani leader Yahya Khan. But he said, ``India`s hands are not clean. They`re caught in a bloody bit of aggression.``

Its interesting to note that 1000+ people died in an armed conflict and a coup was precipitated just because ``They cannot admit the reality, to the domestic public opinion in Pakistan, that the Kashmiri problem has been settled as the formalization of status quo ante and that Pakistan has accepted the political division of Kashmir as the final settlement of the problem.``...

Thats going to great lengths not to admit something in 1999 which has been `clear since 1965`.

Maybe the `domestic public opinion in Pakistan` is just a diplomatic euphenism for `Pakistani Army opinion`.
But the optimism in the spin, zindabad :-).

Sadhana

Feroz:

(There was an excellent post by Sameer on Bilal’s board identifying three sacred cows. Consider this a loose continuation along that....)

Let us start with a hypotheses. It is not in the interest of the Desi Power Elite or or the PoweroUno to solve the K Problem.

(Let me pull a Bilal here.)

What do I mean by:

Desis? (East of Sind? West of Sind? North of Durand? South of ......)

Power Elite? (Military? Beaurecracy? Big Money? Bad Money? Euro/External Money? Green/Saffron Power?)

K? (K ration? Cereal? K= justification? K=perpetuation?

PoweroUno? (Hazrat Amereeka? Hazrat + Bibi Natasha? Hazrat + 40 Thieves- aka MNCs?)

Once we collect and agree on the answers, the K problem will be identified. Once we have done that, we will be well on our way to solve it.

Unlike Bilal, I won’t suggest reading material.

Meantime, for fear of going up in smoke or glowing in the dark, we must find ways to deep freeze the issue. Bismarck? Talleyrand? Machiavelli?

regards,

temporal

PS: Read an interesting column today. Check out ‘The road to good neighborliness’ by Admiral Nadkarni at:

http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/oct/27nad.htm

#2, #3 - May be its because someone said `DOWN WITH DESI`! :-)

Kashmir is not over by a long shot. It is nice
to write long articles on the status quo future
to please the ``other side`` but peace cannot come without justice.
Partition will have to be completed in Kashmir
before we can break out both the alcoholic and
the non-alcoholic drinks.
Till then `` Mission Kashmir `` the movie will have to suffice. India will not be able to get out
of this mess without making a deal with the inhabitants of the Valley, parts of Jammu and
Ladakh. What that deal will be is what we are all
waiting for. Till then let us not be too hasty
in accepting Indian generosity by their ``reluctantly`` allowing Pakistan to keep
Azad Kashmir and the Northern Territories.
India drew first blood on the Shimla Agreement
in 1984 at Siachen. Now it wants to be known as the harmless pussycat.
As to when did the ``Indian Subcontinent`` become
the ``South Asian Subcontinent``?

Answer: August 14, 1947

Ras

Well said Ras Siddiqui ...

Karakoram that is precisely why I like Nixon so much ... his realism and sense of history. It is sad that he got trapped in a crime that every American politician is guilty of. Pathetic. American Politics is Pathetic.

VOTE FOR NADER!

In response to temporal (Reply # 7)
Dear temporal;

In addition to the clarification of terms/expression and reading material suggestions, I ask too many questions. So, I must not disappoint you this time too.

Is it not ironical that your first state that “Unlike Bilal, I won’t suggest reading material” but then you say “Read an interesting column today. Check out ‘The road to good neighborliness’ by Admiral Nadkarni.”

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

ylh,

{{Pathetic. American Politics is Pathetic.

VOTE FOR NADER! }}

Man, I really agree with you. How I wish America had a dose of Pakistani politics.

Er, BTW, what happened ,the Gore campaign kicked you out?.

Sadna @6:

[Maybe the `domestic public opinion in Pakistan` is just a diplomatic euphenism for `Pakistani Army opinion`.]

oh no. `domestic public opinion in Pakistan` is now the JI`s opinion, and not even the army`s. thats one of the problems here. If the Pakistan Army were the ultimate power centre that decides pakistani affairs, then ceo-pm would be the best person india could talk to.. (of course, to discuss how they are going to return PoK ;-)) but no, the army NO MORE has the final say... its somebody else. and we know for sure, talking to this `somebody` is as good as not talking to them at all.

Re: ylh

Please let us know when the Rutgers Kashmir rally at the UN is taking place.

- RS

ATATURK FOR PAKISTAN`S PM!

JINNAH FOR PAKISTAN`S PRESIDENT!

TALIBAN ZINDABAD!

A plebiscite in Kashmir would go against the Pakistani tradition of not allowing citizens to vote as part of democratic processes. Why should Kashmir get to vote when the rest of Pakistan does not? No fair.

Re: Ras

Keep dreaming buddy. No way in hell India`s giving up Kashmir..you`ll have to nuke to even try to get it. But we know you wouldn`t try that. Result? Status quo is maintained for the next few decades.

Dear Feroz:

A well written article, as usual. If there is some merit in your statement that: ``Both India and Pakistan are suffering, politically, due to their Kashmiri policies and there is a growing awareness in both nations that the problem has entered a realm of diminishing returns and needs to be resolved before it causes a domestic political implosion`` then Kashmir problem will soon be resolved.

I am not sure if the making of the LOC a permanent boundary is the best, the secod best, or even the third best solution. However, if the Kashmir issue has already been settled through various agreements, then we have no choice than to make it a done deal as soon as possible. Moreover, if the Kashmiris have not yet mobilized themselves for a solution in their favor, we should not be very hopeful that they will ever (say in the next 50 years) do so under the thumb of India (or Pakistan).

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad