By Abdul Bari Masoud
Bhubaneswar:The Modi government’s Pakistan as well as Kashmir policy has come for sharp criticism in the 2-day national convention of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), a public initiative, which began here on Saturday on the theme of “Weaving Peace.” While stressing the need of resumption of stalled dialogue process between India and Pakistan, the convention also urged to work out a plan to counter the rising jingoism and war- hysteria in the country.
Addressing the convention, a host of speakers said the Kashmir dispute is the “core issue” between India and Pakistan and a durable peace cannot be established until and unless this issue is resolved. They were also of the view that the Kashmir issue cannot be solved without involving the people of Kashmir into the dialogue as it is not a “real estate dispute” between India and Pakistan. They also criticized the media for fomenting war-hysteria in the country.
In his background note, noted peace activist and docu-filmmaker Tapan Bose said it is unfortunate that the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan has been virtually reduced to soldiers firing at each other across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Slamming the Government of India, Bose said it is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi “who has virtually frozen all high-level contacts with Pakistan and vowed to continue doing so until Islamabad stops providing all logistical support for the anti-Indian insurgency in Kashmir”.
Because of the ruling party’s politics of Pakistan and Kashmir, he said there is no indication that Mr. Modi is going to change his stance in near future.
For the last six months, India has not issued a single visa to any Pakistani citizen and the hostile policies being promoted in the name of protecting national security as such a situation is pushing the country to a virtual permanent war, he added.
Many speakers said the Kashmir issue is not a mere land dispute and their aspirations should be taken into considerations as they have been promised by both the countries.
Mindless defence spending has put the people of both countries in miserable conditions.
Tapan Bose said the people of Kashmir have been cheated and denied democratic rights. In reference to the “accession”, he said “we must realize today’s reality and resolved the Kashmir dispute in according to the wishes of the people.”
Intervening into the debate, Anuradha Bhasin, co-chairperson of PIPFPD, said the betterment of relation between India and Pakistan Is tied with resolution of Kashmir. As delegate pointed out the taking the name of Pakistan has become a “sin” and Kashmir issue has been seen through the “Pakistan prism” in the rest of the country. Ms Bhasin, who is also Editor of Kashmir Times, said there a is need to shape new narrative about Kashmir in the rest of the country.
Prof Dinesh Mohan described Modi as “the PM of 31 percent who has been playing domestic politics on Kashmir issue.”
No Pakistani delegate was granted visa for the convention. However, in his message via FB, Forum co-founder I A Rahman said that “the convention should not forget the principled stand on Kashmir and ensured that this message reaches every nook and corner of the Sub-continent”. He said the convention is being held at critical moment of the history of India Pakistan relation.
Another activist from Pakistan, Bena Sarver said the Kashmir is not a matter of real estate between Pakistan and India but a matter of lives and aspirations of people of Kashmir. She said the Kashmiri people should be involved in the dialogue process.
Talking on growing communalism in the country, Ms Rita Manchanda pointed out that the ruling party has been using foreign policy particularly Pakistan and Kashmir for its domestic and electoral politics. Seconding her view, Syeda Hameed, ex member planning commission said the communal politics is being played by the BJP and its affiliates. Without resolving conflict over Kashmir with Pakistan, communalism cannot be wiped out from the country, she said and adding that Muslims have been made “hate figure.” Referring to recent violent agitation launched by Karni Sena with the tacit support of the government on film Padmavat, she said the film actually portrayed Sultan Alluddin Khilji in bad light, a beast and womanizer completely overlooking his achviements.
The speakers warned that the s perpetual cycle of constant confrontations, instability along the Indo-Pakistan border that we have lost sight of the inherent danger that these confrontations pose to peace in South Asia. As a result, despite our best efforts, the next big war in the Asia-Pacific, like most military conflicts, may come as an apparent surprise when we least expect it. For what is clear is that the current instability in the Asia-Pacific cannot endure indefinitely”.
On the present jingoistic environment in the country, the delegates stressed the need of creating a policy intervention committee which would work as watch dog and develop reasoned counter arguments against the hostile policies being promoted in the name of protecting national security.
The convention after a gap of 5-years is being held at the Lohia Academy here wherein more than 100 delegates across India are come to participate. PIPFPD has been a pioneering people’s platform that has impacted the political and people-to people relations between India and Pakistan since early 1990s.