Manmohan-Zardari Talks: Pakistani President on Dargah Diplomacy

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari paid day-long private visit to India on April 8. During his stay and talks with Indian leaders, he offered prayers at the Ajmer Sharif did help the two South Asian neighbors reduce mutual tension and consider practical ways to speedily settle some of the less contentious issues such as Sir Creek and Siachen.
At his one-on-one meeting with Zardari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, however, made it a point to highlight the issue of terrorism upfront and unequivocally told the Pakistani leader that action must be initiated against Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and other perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
The Pakistani president offered prayers at the historic 13th century dargah of sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer after which a $1 million donation for the shrine was announced.
Friendly and Constructive Progress
After a warm handshake and clasp and smiles for the media, the two leaders sat down for talks, which Singh said were "very constructive and friendly."
The prime minister clearly told the Pakistani president at their talks that progress in bilateral relations rested entirely on the way Islamabad handled terrorism, stressing that those behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack must be brought to justice.
Manmohan Singh also accepted Zardari’s invitation to visit Pakistan, and hoped such a visit would take the peace process forward. Singh also brought up the activities of Hafiz Saeed, the 26/11 mastermind, on whom the US has recently put a $10 million bounty.
Singh also told Zardari that Pakistan must prevent terrorist activities against India from its soil. The two leaders discussed the problem of terrorism, which is a major issue by which the Indian people will judge progress in the bilateral relationship.
Reflecting the view of Islamabad, the Pakistani president said the issue of Hafiz Saeed, on whose head the US recently declared a bounty of $10 million, needed to be discussed between the Home/Interior secretaries of the two countries who would meet shortly in Islamabad. He also stated that there were legal processes in Pakistan without going through which the civilian government could not move against the masterminds of the Mumbai attack.
Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek Issues
On “core issues” such as Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek, the two sides noted Sir Creek was “doable.”
Zardari raised issues such as Sir Creek, Siachen and Jammu and Kashmir and stressed the need for resolving them. To this, the prime minister said both sides needed to move step by step and that the bilateral dialogue was in the mutual interest of the two countries.
India-China Model Emulated

However, for the first time perhaps, Islamabad indicated that it was seriously looking at the India-China model of bilateral relations wherein the two countries have put contentious issue on the backburner and made significant gains in their trade and commercial ties.
The Pakistani president said though India had several issues of discord with China, their trade relations were booming. Zardari suggested that the India-China model could help improve the relations between India and Pakistan.
High-level officials have been pointing out that more than action against Hafiz Saeed, this visit could begin the trend of top leaders meeting each other more frequently so that issues that appear to be getting nowhere in talks with bureaucrats — such as the stapled visa issue with China — could be resolved to reduce ill will.
Prime Minister Accepts Invitation To Visit Islamabad
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan, with India indicating that concrete actions against anti-India terrorists.
Only recently, he had told Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani that the time to visit should be when there is a substantive announcement to make — something “solid” on the table. There is, therefore, a nuanced shift here. Since Pakistan has entered its election year, it is to be seen if the prime minister will seek to visit before the elections are announced. To that extent, he may have put himself under some pressure to decide unless he does indeed intend to go to Pakistan soon. After the election, the invitation will have to be renewed by the next government if Singh is to contemplate a visit.

China Lauds Development

China has lauded Zardari's visit to New Delhi, stating better ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbors would benefit both countries and bring stability in the region. Better ties between Pakistan and India, two nuclear-armed heavyweight neighbors on the South Asian subcontinent, will benefit both countries and regional stability. The two countries’ efforts in warming up their ties certainly are welcomed and applauded by the international community including China, which neighbors both nations and maintains significant ties with them.China and Pakistan have been all-weather friends over the past decades, while both China and India have been members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a bloc of five major emerging economies that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
After the improvement in trade relations, marked by Pakistan recently agreeing to India’s long-standing demand of barring only those Indian goods that are on a negative list, Zardari’s lunch with the Prime Minister in a conducive atmosphere in the Indian capital will push the sense along that the mood is not one of hostility, although Islamabad has done little to bring the Mumbai attackers to justice.

Plight of Kashmiri Women

In the present scenario, the world is well aware of the fact that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been under unconstitutional and illegal occupation of India for the last more than six decades. Due to this illegal occupation, the situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is extremely awful and the Indian forces have been committing oppression and brutalities in every nook and corner of the state.

The Muslims of the state of Jammu and Kashmir are passing through a dark age of sufferings and miseries. They are feeling helpless, deprived and oppressed in all aspects of life in their own land. The world is also aware of the fact that for resolution of the Kashmir dispute the UN Security Council has passed 18 resolutions pledging Kashmiris plebiscite through which they could determine their fate and future. In this plebiscite they can decide either to join Pakistan or India.

However, the world is aware of this fact that despite the UN resolutions and the promises made by Indian rulers and leaders, more than sixty years have passed but neither the Kashmir dispute was resolved in light of its historical background nor the Kashmiris were given their birth right to self-determination. As a result the intentions of the Indian leaders have changed with the passage of time and they forgot about their pledges made at local, national and international level and adopted intransigence, extreme obstinacy and cruel tactics to further their illegal and unconstitutional occupation over Jammu and Kashmir. They also promoted the system of new settlement to change the Muslim majority into minority by brining and settling non-Muslims in the state from neighboring states by allotting them state subject certificates.

Massacre of Muslims
Muslims were killed on different pretexts. The massacre of Muslims started from Jammu where in few days in 1947 Indian forces in collusion with Dogra Army, Hindu Extremists and Sikh death squads massacred three hundred thousand Muslims and only two hundred thousand people managed to flee to Pakistan. During this massacre of the Muslims in Jammu respected women were subjected to organized gang rapes and the properties of Muslims were looted while hundreds of their towns were burnt in the night.

After the massacre of the Muslims, Hindus were brought in great number from the neighboring states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajhastan and New Delhi and settled them in Jammu by allotting them state subject certificates and today they are being termed as real subjects of the state and the so called Muslim politicians of Jammu and Kashmir watched this drama silently.

More than one million Indian forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir have been unleashing a reign of terror against the Muslim population during the past sixty years in general and the last 20 years in particular. Few living examples of the cruelty are before the international community. However, unfortunately the world has become champion of securing interests of some particular nations instead of championing human values. That's the reason that despite seeing, listening and observing everything nothing was done for the oppressed and suppressed Kashmiri people other than mere rhetoric. No real endeavors were made to pursue India to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir justly in its historic perspective.

Role of the United Nations
The role of the United Nations is very regrettable as it failed in dispensing its moral and legal responsibility failed to resolve the Kashmir issue, nor it stopped human rights violations of the Kashmir Muslims by the occupation Indian forces. We can expect nothing from the Muslim world. The Muslim countries except for Pakistan have spiritually left this world and every individual Muslim ruler is trying to secure his regime or he is busy in seeking his personal comforts and luxuries. The Muslim rulers have made a deal on the overall interest of Islam and the Muslims. They are behaving as if they don't know anything about the flight of the Muslims.

The Muslim rulers must have followed Khilafat instead of kingship. Had they left their personal comforts and luxuries then the satanic forces in the world would have not dared to cast an evil eye on Kashmir, Palestine, Iraq Afghanistan, Kosovo and Chechnya and thus the spirits of the Muslim would have not suffered so much and they would have not shed blood and tears while looking towards the apathy of their rulers. At the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Pakistan has to wrestle and toil like wrestlers to pass an ordinary resolution for early resolution of the Kashmir issue and condemnation of human rights of the Kashmiri Muslims by one million Indian forces. Then the OIC issues a little condemnation of the Indian brutality and oppression in Kashmir.

A tradition of the holy Prophet Mohammad is that the prophet said in an address to the Muslim men that when your rulers are pious and kind, when your philanthropists are generous, and when your matters are in your own hands then your being alive is better than your death. However, when your rulers are cruel having bad character, your philanthropists are miser and your matters are in the hands of your wives then your death is better than your being alive. Now look at the character and role of our rulers and philanthropists in light of this tradition of the holy prophet and ponder over it as per your mental capacity.

Dispute between India and Pakistan
The world also knows that the Kashmir issue is a dispute between Pakistan and India and unless and until this issue is resolved, the relationship between Pakistan and India will never improve. Rather, there will always be a danger of a nuclear conflict in South Asia. The world can better understand this fact and the world leaders have expressed their views in this regard from time to time. What this means that former US President Barack Obama has termed Kashmir as a nuclear flash point. The current US Administration says that Kashmir is a sensitive issue and resolution of this dispute is very crucial to avoid any big disaster in the region. These days, international calls are being made by the United States and European Union to resolve this longstanding issue. We want to tell in categorical terms to these countries that mere rhetoric or statements would not reduce the suffering and plight of the Kashmiri people nor will it change the situation on the ground. Yes, some practical steps would make some difference.

Regarding the Kashmir dispute, we can see that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have never accepted the illegal occupation of India but they have always remained busy in peaceful struggle for liberation of their state from Indian yoke and they have stressed upon India on the political and diplomatic front to give them freedom and resolve the Kashmir issue under the UN resolutions in accordance with the pledges made by their rulers. However, the arrogant Indian rulers have never understood the language of politics and diplomacy and have always trod the path of intransigence and cruelty. India doesn't believe in resolution of issues through political and diplomatic means. India can be dealt with under the principle of "Iron Cuts Iron" or "Teasing led to War" [both Urdu idioms]. Thus in 1989 the valiant youth of Jammu and Kashmir took guns in their hands paying India in the same coin and made it frightened.

and some lost their husbands. When father of a girl dies she becomes hapless. When husband of a woman dies she becomes widow and when the brother, father or son of a woman is arrested she wails and dies every day. Many women fell victim to bullets fired by Indian forces and become martyrs. Many of the women are such who have been allegedly linked with the armed struggle and have been languishing in Indian jails. This process is still continuing.

Shopian Incident
The tragedy of women in Jammu and Kashmir is that the Indian forces are not only targeting and killing their loved ones but they are also harassing, raping and gang raping them. The fresh incident in this regard took place in Shopian where two unfortunate women Neelofar Jan and Asiya Bano were kidnapped by Indian troops on May 29, 2009. The troops gang raped them and killed them in cold blood. This incident was confirmed by the one-man inquiry commission of Justice Jan. The Shopian incident sparked angry protest demonstration in all parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian forces have been using brute force to suppress the demonstrations, which are still continuing. Several people were martyred in these demonstrations by Indian forces, who subject protesters to teargas shelling, cane charging and sometimes they open fire on them. Does the unfortunate rape of a ten-years-old girl Shabnam in Pain Badra in Handwara has any precedence in the world or is molestation of a 70-years-old woman by Indian troops in Posha Pora has any example in the history.

Few days after the Shopian incident, Indian police personnel in Tangmarg molested a girl and killed her grand mother who tried to protect the chastity of her grand daughter. What example of cowardice and humiliation can you quote other than this as On 5 July 2009 in Marmat Doda, two Special Police Officers molested an 80 years old woman. In the night between 8 and 9 July personnel of the territorial Army of India entered the house of Late Ghulam Ahmad Masoodi in Dolipora, Handwara, and tried to rape his daughter Amna Masoodi, a student, who cried to alarm the local people to save her chastity. However, the savaged troops pressed her throat and strangulated her to death. The Indian forces have violated all human and legal norms in brutalizing and subjecting to rape and molestation the women in Jammu and Kashmir. The stories of oppression against the women in the state are beyond description.

Protecting Honor of Womenfolk
Now the question is: Can any respectable, honorable and valiant man tolerate the rape or molestation of his sister, daughter, wife or mother? No, never. There are a number of examples when the respected men of Jammu and Kashmir have sacrificed their lives in order to protect the honor of their womenfolk. It will better to quote just one example of Jagarpora in Hadwara to save your precious time from being wasted. The family of Mohammad Abdullah Dar lives in central Jagarpora. Few years ago the Indian forces launched a crackdown in the area and entered the house of Mohammad Abdullah on the pretext of search. Abdullah's son and his daughter in law were also present in the house at that time. When the troops tried to molest his daughter in law the valiant Adullah strongly resisted the move of the troops. When the troops realized that they could not subdue him, they opened fire on him and martyred him on the spot. Then his son tried to protect his wife who was also gunned down. According to a tradition of the holy Prophet Mohammad the man who is killed in an attempt to stop brutality is a martyr and the man who is killed to protect honor and chastity of his womenfolk is also a martyr. Men of valiant nations, irrespective of their class and creed, always feel proud for sacrificing their lives to protect chastity and honor of their women.

Struggle for Right to Self-Determination
During the resistance movement and the struggle for the right to self-determination, the women of Kashmir have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with their son, brothers, husbands and fathers despite all odds. They have taken active part in the liberation struggle individually and in groups.

The women of Kashmir have played an active role in protest demonstrations against the oppression of the Indian forces. They have also demonstrated great courage and valor in organizing public meetings, protest demonstrations, rallies and other activities of the liberation movement besides encouraging their men to carry forward the struggle towards its logical conclusion.

Political Upheaval in Jammu and Kashmir

Whatever is happening in Jammu and Kashmir politics is unfortunate. Nobody could object to differences between the ruling party and the opposition in politics, but there is a definite limit to differences in parliamentary democracy. Politics should not be so directionless and shallow that it creates a situation of political instability. It is the result of this political situation that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced his resignation after being emotionally hurt. However, it was unnecessary.

Kinds of Allegations
The opposition levels several kinds of allegations against the government, and the head of the government has to function, tolerating them. The allegation leveled by People's Democratic Party [PDP] of his involvement in the sex scandal case is totally baseless.

In a restive and unstable state like Jammu and Kashmir, politics needs to be sensitive and alert. PDP's attitude was exactly the opposite. After all, the manner in which Mehbooba Mufti rushed to the assembly speaker's seat and snatched the mike from him on July 28 was very irresponsible behavior by a legislative assembly member. The irony is that she is not at all repentant about her behavior. On the contrary, she continued to accuse the speaker of behaving indecently.

Role of Mainstream Political Leaders
In reality, PDP's attitude cannot be called the role of a responsible political party from any angle. The real role of mainstream political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir is to work toward foiling such attempts, be it from Omar Abdullah or Mehbooba Mufti.

On the issue of peace and development, there has to be political unity in Jammu and Kashmir. In contrast, Mehbooba is engaged in the politics of conflict. There is no problem in accepting that she is in a way making things easy for separatist forces. This is not going to do any good to anyone.

There does not appear to be any justifiable reason to take up what occurred at Shopian in this manner. It would have been in everybody's interest to make efforts to stop recurrence of such incidents and give solace to the victims.

Future Ahead
After all, what do Mehbooba and her PDP want? There are no elections at this time that she could take political advantage of it. But, being the head of the government, Omar should also have refrained from emotional extremism. He has got majority in the assembly and there is no danger at the moment of his government being reduced to a minority.

Omar should understand that he is leading a state whose foundation is being shaken by cross-border terrorism and internal secessionism, and disruptive forces have been trying to keep it at unrest. At this time, the need is to work together to restore normalcy in Kashmir.