It was for the first time that India’s back-channel man with Pakistan for a better part of the past decade Satinder K Lambah spoke publicly on Kashmir, and in Kashmir. Lambah delivered a long speech on the Track-II efforts between India and Pakistan at a seminar organized by the Institute of Kashmir Studies, Kashmir University. The diplomat outlined the broad contours of the Kashmir settlement that were being worked out between India and Pakistan in the middle of the past decade and which according to the outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had almost pulled off a solution for long running territorial dispute between the two countries. The most promising phase of this engagement is stated to be between 2003 and 2007 and it was the then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s sudden exit from power in 2008 following countrywide laywers’ agitation that aborted the effort. The successive efforts to pick up the baton didn’t succeed despite the fact that the back-channel talks continued. According to Lambah, the Track-II effort
carried on uninterrupted even after the Mumbai terror attack – albeit without any success to convert these into an agreement. Lambah also outlined the features of the settlement without any geographical re-adjustment on Kashmir. According to him India “consistently advocated a solution that does not seek to redraw the border or amend the constitution,” but one that makes the boundary irrelevant, enables commerce, communication, contacts and development of Kashmiri people on both sides and that ends the cycle of violence. Speaking in his personal capacity ambassador Lambah mapped out a solution that called for self-governance for internal management in all areas,” on both sides of LoC and a Joint Consultative Mechanism that would look into socio-economic issues like Tourism, Travel, Pilgrimages to Shrines, Trade, Health, Education and Culture. However, the negotiations, given their complex and controversial nature, have continued to be revisited and reviewed by the two countries which has resulted in the persisting disagreement over the shape of a final agreement. We hope that the process is taken forward by the soon-to-take-over new government in Delhi and a solution acceptable to all stake-holders but primarily to the people of J&K is found out to end the long-standing source of hostility and violence in the sub-continent.
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 May 2014 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 May 2014 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 May 2014 00:00:00 IST
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