Avoid peace trap set by Pakistan
IOUT OF THE FOUR WARS PAKISTAN FOUGHT WITH INDIA, THREE BROKE OUT DUE TO PAKISTAN’S ATTEMPTS TO MILITARILY REDRAW ITS BORDERS WITH INDIA
n India, the debate over our Pakistan policy swings between two extremes of jingoism and over-enthusiasm, affording us little opportunity to examine on merits the peace proposals which are conceptualised through track two diplomatic channels.
While during the track two dialogue, the Indian side has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s proposals of ‘redrawing of borders’ and ‘joint administration of the Kashmir Valley’, the idea of making the LoC ‘irrelevant’ has fascinated many in India.
It has often been argued that India-Pak peace process shall be de-linked from terrorism as various terrorist groups operating from Pakistan soil have vested interests in sabotaging it. Though there may be some truth in this, but without going into the debate surrounding this argument we shall take it up on practical terms.
Making the borders irrelevant for achieving peace in Kashmir involves withdrawal of both the armies from the LoC and relaxation of restrictions on free movement of people across the LoC. Such a scenario will be disadvantageous to India as long as terrorist infrastructure remains intact on Pakistan’s side of the LoC.
Pakistan will be able to pursue its strategic aims in the Kashmir Valley by unleashing the jehadi machine it controls, as well as by stoking trouble through separatists in the Kashmir Valley who are increasingly working in synchronisation with ISI’s policies and openly sharing the stage with jehadists like Hafiz Saeed.
Out of the four wars Pakistan fought with India, three broke out due to Pakistan’s attempts to militarily redraw its borders with India, either directly or through its proxies. While in 1947, Pakistan pushed tribals into Kashmir Valley, in 1965 the Pak Army itself came dressed as ‘Rajakars’.
The Kargil war also was a Pak army-Mujahideen joint operation to shift the LoC. Even in Siachen, we had a close shave in 1984 when an intelligence tip-off alerted us just in time about Pakistani plans to occupy the glacier in a Kargil kind of perfidy.
As all t hese attempts failed badly, Gen Musharraf started to lure India into this “irrelevant border” trap. The Indian leadership, encouraged by de-escalating militancy in Kashmir and fall in cross-border infiltration attempts after the 2003 ceasefire, has been responsive to this proposal.
Pakistan has always tried to break free of the Shimla Agreement which Zulfikar Bhutto had described to be as humiliating to Pakistan as the Treaty of Versailles was for Germany.
After the Kargil debacle and, in post 9/11 conditions, Pakistan’s Kashmir policy rests on stoking internal unrest in Kashmir and somehow securing some concessions from India on diplomatic table which in effect neutralizes the Shimla Agreement and allows it to create a 1948-kind of situation. Therefore while the Pakistani leadership makes all the right noises on Indo-Pak talks, it continues to maintain the terrorist infrastructure aimed against India on its soil.
The reliability of diplomatic accords which we sign with Pakistan has always been poor. Pakistan has always flouted the Shimla agreement, buried the Lahore Joint Statement in Kargil and continues to flout the January 2004 joint statement.
Pakistan will miss no opportunity to exploit an irrelevant LoC by pushing in jehadis, stoking secessionism and again calling for international intervention.
Dismantling of terrorist infrastructure on the Pakistani soil must remain the necessary pre-condition of any meaningful and sustainable dialogue. Lasting peace like an embryo must pass through sequential stages. Any attempt to change the sequence is sure to result in disaster.