India eases tensions in Kashmir
Surprise move to reduce troops in disputed region greeted as 'leap forward.'
The announcement by India on Thursday that it will
unilaterally reduce its troop deployments in the disputed territory of Kashmir this winter was greeted as a "great leap forward" by Pakistani officials and Kashmiri separatists, reports
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the move reflected "an
improvement in the security situation" there, reports the
BBC. Mr. Singh did not say how big the troop reduction would be.
India, which administers the southern two-thirds of Kashmir, has fought two of its three wars with Pakistan over the Himalayan territory since its independence from British rule in 1947. Both nations claim the region in its entirety.
The announcement comes in advance of
scheduled talks in December on resolving the dispute between the two nuclear rivals, reports Pakistan's
Khaleej Times.
Even though the reduction in forces would be small, the symbolism would have a far greater impact, reports
Indo-Asian News Service (INS). India has approximately 500,000 troops deployed in Kashmir.
The move is the first "major show of flexibility" by India, says Kashmiri political analyst Tahir Mohiudin. "I think it is the outcome of behind-the-curtain diplomacy between India and Pakistan," he told
AFP.
'It will shut the mouths of opposition parties in Pakistan and of those Kashmiri separatists who have been criticizing Musharraf [Pakistan's president] for giving concession after concession to India without getting something from New Delhi.'
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri welcomed the decision by India. It represents an acknowledgment that "neither of them can
impose a solution of the Kashmir problem on each other through attacks and wars," the Pakistani online daily
Dawn quotes him as saying. And while favorably acknowledging India's move, Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Masood Khan said that "Pakistan would be looking forward to this decision's
physical manifestation in the coming days and weeks, which would be closely monitored," reports the
Dawn.
In an interview on
BBC Radio, Mr. Kasuri "refuted" any impression "that Pakistan and India had gone into the talks under any external pressure," reports the
Dawn. Both Pakistan and India say the issue should be resolved without help from European powers, the United States, and China.
Kashmiri separatists greeted the troop withdrawal announcement in a much more cautious manner.
Amanullah Khan, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) said that only the
liberation of Kashmir as an independent state would be acceptable to the Kashmiris, reports
Asian News Service (ANI). Both India and Pakistan should "evolve strategies and devise formulas to solve the Kashmir imbroglio in a manner that would be acceptable to the 30 million Kashmiris living on both sides of the Line of Control," said Mr. Khan.
Khan also criticised both India and Pakistan for acting "under pressure from Western powers" to "hurriedly" find solutions to the dispute without taking into account the aspirations and willingness of the Kashmiris," reports
ANI. "Kashmir was not booty to be shared as spoils between India and Pakistan."
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the announcement of a troop reduction in Indian-administered Kashmir
would be inconsequential unless it withdrew the Disturbed Areas Act, which gives sweeping powers to the armed forces, reports the
BBC.
'It is a big joke. Troop reduction in Kashmir will not make any difference. Our peaceful struggle will continue until all troops are out of our soil,' Mr Geelani said. Some analysts believe India's troop withdrawal, announced as it was first through the media, is in response to last month's "
dramatic proposal" by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf "to demilitarize the disputed region of Kashmir," which was also first announced through the media.
Mr. Musharraf listed several options for a settlement, reported
The Christian Science Monitor.
•The whole area could be demilitarized and made autonomous.
•It could be put under the joint control of the two countries.
•Some parts could be divided between the two countries and the Kashmir Valley would either become autonomous or be put under UN supervision.
The plan met resistance on two fronts, reports the
Monitor. First, Inidan officials said "the proposal should have been sent through 'proper channels,' " not floated through the media. And second, many Pakistani leaders said Musharraf "shouldn't have made the offer at all, calling it a 'betrayal' of the Kashmir cause."
Yet as difficult as the road to a resolution of the Kashmir dispute is, officials and analysts say recent developments are a clear sign that each nation's approach on Kashmir over the years has been unsustainable.
BBC analyst Sanjoy Majumder's
characterization of Musharraf's plan last month still aptly describes the situation in Southeast Asia.
There is considerable ground to be covered before any realistic and long-term solution can be found.
Also...
•
Kashmir flashpoint (
BBC)
•
Map of Kashmir (
BBC)
•
NATO's chief backs US views on terrorism (
The New York Times)
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