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Saturday, September 1, 2012

KASHMIR DISPUTE ROLE OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA


KASHMIR DISPUTE
ROLE OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA


The purpose of this research article is to investigate the key issues, problems and the new change in Kashmir issue. Kashmir issue plays the role of disturbance in the sub continent. If this conflict resolved it can improve and promotes the economic, social, political and cultural life of the Pakistan and Indian nations. Until now the role of Kashmir conflict in Pakistan has been simply drastic.


Contents
      Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………   3
      Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………   4
      Regions of Jammu and Kashmir....................................................................................................................................... 6
      Unsecure the south Asian................................................................................................................................................... 6
      Enhancing peace building capacity................................................................................................................................ 6
      Why is Kashmir disputed?................................................................................................................................................. 6
      What should be our aim?.................................................................................................................................................... 7
      The difference we make...................................................................................................................................................... 7
      Can  Kashmir dispute resolved?....................................................................................................................................... 8
      SRINAGAR, (SANA):.............................................................................................................................................................. 9
      General view in Pakistan.................................................................................................................................................. 11




THE KASHMIR CONFLICT
The conflict in and around the disputed regions of Jammu and Kashmir has its roots in independence in 1947, when British India was divided between India and Pakistan. Outbreaks of war occurred between the two countries in 1947, 1965 and 1971. A militant insurgency, which displayed increased levels of violence from 1989, has led to tens of thousands of deaths.
In the context of ongoing insecurity in Afghanistan, and with both India and Pakistan possessing nuclear weapons, the persistence of instability in Kashmir poses a real threat to regional security in South Asia.
Conciliation Resources supports civil society to play a more dynamic and proactive role in peace building in the region. Our goal is to enhance the prospects for a non-violent and just transformation of the conflict over the disputed territories of Jammu and Kashmir.
There are few avenues for the diverse population of Jammu and Kashmiri to be included in peace building processes. We believe that greater participation by the people of Jammu and Kashmir will create a more productive India-Pakistan peace process to resolve the Kashmir conflict, recognizing that in order to achieve any sustainable settlement it must be acceptable to all sides.
Conciliation Resources promotes ownership of and participation by Kashmir is in the India–Pakistan peace process. We work in all of the regions of the disputed area including Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit - Baltistan, and in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. We also work with the Diasporas.
The territory of Kashmir was hotly contested even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain in August 1947.
Under the partition plan provided by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Kashmir was free to accede to India or Pakistan.
The Maharaja, Hari Singh, wanted to stay independent but eventually decided to accede to India, signing over key powers to the Indian government - in return for military aid and a promised referendum.
Since then, the territory has been the flashpoint for two of the three India-Pakistan wars: the first in 1947-8, the second in 1965.
In 1999, India fought a brief but bitter conflict with Pakistani-backed forces that had infiltrated Indian-controlled territory in the Kargil area.
In addition to the rival claims of Delhi and Islamabad to the territory, there has been a growing and often violent separatist movement against Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989.
What should be our aim?
Our aim is to develop the peace building capacities of people on both sides of the Line of Control and contribute to informal peace building processes, by facilitating shared analysis, dialogue and practical engagement at regional and cross-Line of control levels.
We work to:
     Strengthen confidence across the Line of control particularly in the realms of trade and higher education
     Increase the peace building skills and influence of a number of NGOs
     Increase the engagement of women and youth in peace building
The difference we make
Using our experience of peace building from other conflict contexts, and our knowledge of the conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, we are able to work with partners to strengthen their organizational capacities. Critically we have been able to play a bridging role in facilitating connections across the Line of control that otherwise are difficult to initiate and sustain.
Over the past two years we have brought members of civil society from across the Line of control together on a number of occasions and in addition over 400 people have taken part in conflict transformation workshops within their own societies. Through building relationships, facilitating workshops and supporting research, we are also able to investigate previously under-explored areas that hold potential for peace building such as cross- Line of control trade and education.
In the years prior to the Mumbai (Bombay) attacks of November 2008 - in which gunmen killed 165 people - relations between India and Pakistan saw a big thaw.
The Mumbai attacks were blamed by India on militants based in Pakistan and led India to suspend further negotiations until February 2010, when the first formal discussions between the two countries since the attacks were held in Delhi.
Before those attacks the two countries agreed on several Kashmir-specific confidence building measures. A bus service between the two parts of Kashmir was resumed in 2005.
In October 2008 an old trade road was reopened after 60 years across the Line of Control that divides Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Earlier in the same month a rail service was introduced.
The two governments have huge international backing to continue the peace process and make their negotiations succeed.
An end to the violence and uncertainty in Kashmir would also be widely welcomed in India and Pakistan - and not only by those weary of the fighting or those who see it as a hindrance to the economic development of the South Asia region.
However, a diplomatic solution has escaped both sides for more than 60 years, and there are no signs of any new proposals yet.
Furthermore, both governments face powerful hard line groups within their own countries who will be carefully monitoring the talks to make sure concessions they deem to be unacceptable are not offered to the other side. The senior-most Cabinet Minister in Jammu and Kashmir government, Abdul Rahim Rather, has lauded the efforts of Conciliation Resources in bringing out a publication on Cross-Line of Control Trade, which is a key confidence building measure in the state… [He] found the collection of highly researched discussion papers useful and said that publication would help the policymakers in understanding various view points from both sides of the Line of Control.
State Observer, March 2011
Global media again raises Kashmir issue
South Asian News Agency (SANA) July 14, 2012
SRINAGAR, (SANA): The Kashmir issue has presently finding space in reputable global media institutions amid peaceful situation in the Valley.
Over the past few weeks, international media organizations like New York Times, Time Magazine, Guardian, Christian Science Monitor, British-based Channel 4 and other well known global publications have turned their attention towards the Kashmir conflict.
The opinion pieces and programmed on Kashmir are touching a number of issues including mass graves, torture, disappearance, fake encounters and other human tragedies with a common theme: “apathy of world towards human rights abuses.”
On July 10, Channel 4 broadcast documentary – Kashmir’s Torture Trail – highlighting the issue of unmarked graves discovered in Kashmir a few years ago. The trailer of the documentary read: “Now from Kashmir, more dark secrets are emerging.”
Channel 4 said it had decided to air the programmed because the issue of Kashmir, one of the world’s oldest running but neglected disputes, “is in danger of being overshadowed by Syria and the euro-zone debt crisis.” On July 7, Mirza Waheed, Kashmiri born BBC editor, wrote an article titled “India’s blood stained democracy” in the New York Times.
Waheed castigated west for being “indifferent towards human rights issues in Kashmir.” “Had the graves been found under Col. Muammar Qaddafi’s compound in Libya or in the rubble of Homs in Syria, there surely would have been uproar. But when over 2,000 skeletons appear in the conflict-ridden backyard of the world’s largest democracy, no one bats an eye.
While the West proselytizes democracy and respect for human rights, sometimes going so far as to cheerlead cavalier military interventions to remove repressive regimes, how can it reconcile its humanitarianism with such brazen disregard for the right to life in Kashmir? Have we come to accept that there are different benchmarks for justice in democracies and autocracies? Are mass graves unearthed in democratic India somehow less offensive?” Waheed wrote.
Two days ago, news story titled “Kashmir’s Fragile Calm: Tensions Take Backseat to Tourism” appeared in renowned news magazine of the world, TIME.
“Even on uneventful days, security at the local airport is worryingly tight, and, with hundreds of thousands of Indian security forces still stationed around the region, camouflage trucks are ubiquitous on Stinger’s clogged streets,” writes Hong Kong based Krista Mahr who has been reporting for TIME Asia and Time.com since 2007
On July 9, award winning British journalist, Catthy Scott Clark penned an article titled “The Mass Graves of Kashmir”. She narrates how “Once picture-perfect, a place of pilgrimage for backpackers and mystics of all religions, Kashmir had become one of the most beautiful and dangerous frontlines in the world.”
Catthy, who has co-authored book “The Meadow” begins her write-up by Machil fake encounter and then talks of unmarked graves and struggle of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society patron , Parvez Imroz, who, according to her, is “ discovering the unmarked graves and challenging rights abuses.”
Catthy and Adrain in the book claimed that four of the six western tourists were actually killed by “renegades” working for the army, not militant organization Al Faran as has been believed so far.
On July 11, Christian Monitor Science (CSM), carried a story titled “In Kashmir, old torture centers get makeover.” The write-up was contributed by journalist Zahid Rafiq who is presently pursuing fellowship in USA.
Even the New Delhi-based media is not lagging behind in giving space to opinion pieces on Kashmir. Former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat penned evocative write up on Kashmir.
A group of 18 participants from Azad Kashmir attending the 3-day Cross- Line of control Trade Conference met Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor Jammu and Kashmir, at Raj Bhavan.
“Cross Line of control Tade, Regional Development: Opportunities and Challenges” is the title of conference organized by a New Delhi-Based NGO “Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation”. The objective of this conference was to explore the future possibilities and opportunities of the trade between India and Pakistan.



The general view in Pakistan is that the normalization of relations with India is not possible without a resolution of the core issue of Kashmir but India’s stance is that the relations can be normalized by promoting trade and cultural ties.
As Pakistan is a member of WTO (World Trade Organization) and granting of MFN is an automatic step by a member of WTO to another member but Pakistan has been withholding this grant as a reaction against the non-resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Even if you have to trade with your enemies according to trends round the world, it should be done on mutual gains. Like China’s trade with Taiwan, China’s Trade with India, China’s Trade with US, but this trade is done with mutual benefits. US import cheap goods from China to reduce its cost of living and China export its material to US to strengthen its economy. India-China trade is also similar, India will exports its raw material to China and Import cheap machinery from China for its Industry.
India – Pakistan Trade
In case of India-Pakistan trade, Pakistan exports to India in 2004-2005 was US$ 288 million and US$264 million in 2010-2011 with decline of 8% with MFN status, while India’s exports to Pakistan was US$ 547 million in 2004-2005, and US$1743 million in 2010-2011 with increase of 218% without MFN status.
Pakistani markets will be flooded with Indian goods resulting in the danger of much of the local industries being knocked out by Indian Imports; this will increase unemployment and antipathy against the initiative in Pakistan.
Pakistan can only benefit from this trade, if Pakistani exporters are allowed to freely export their goods that are produced or manufactured in Pakistan to India, but because of India’s restrictive import policies Pakistan is unable to do this despite of having MFN Status from India in 1996. According to WTO, “India is one of the highest users of anti-dumping and frequent user of safeguard measures against imports from other countries”.

By starting trade with India and by giving MFN Status we will not only give them access to our market but we will also facilitate India’s access to Afghanistan and Central Asian markets through Pakistan, thus fulfilling its dream of monopolizing the economics of South Asia and Central Asia. So it’s at most important that government of Pakistan should balance the trade at the time of finalizing a negative list and make sure that trade with India and India’s MFN status will move Pakistan towards prosperity and both countries will get mutual benefits from this trade, but measures should also be taken to link this India-Pakistan trade and MFN status with the resolution of core issue of Kashmir.

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