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*** leaders seek Indias help in fight against Pak
Amitabh Sinha
WHILE India has been extremely sensitive about being seen to be getting involved in Pakistans internal affairs, a number of political groups in Azad Kashmir (***) have now been openly seeking New Delhis help in their fight against what they describe as their persecution by Islamabad.
Their argument is simple. Officially, India continues to consider the whole of Kashmir, including the areas under Pakistan control, as its own territory and therefore it becomes its duty to protect them against a foreign aggressor, which is how they describe Pakistan.
A motley group of these political leaders and intellectuals from areas around Gilgit and Baltistan in ***, referred to as Northern Areas by Pakistan, assembled in New Delhi to participate in a two-day international seminar on Society, Culture and Politics in the Karakoram Himalayas that was dominated by tales of discrimination and persecution of the people in these areas at the hands of Pakistans civilian and military establishment.
I am surprised that India has no concern about what is happening in Gilgit and Baltistan. Pakistan has been openly supporting and encouraging militants in Indian Kashmir and New Delhi doesnt even want to keep contact with areas that are officially still a part of its own territory, said Abdul Hamid Khan, chairman of Balawaristan National Front, a political party whose objective is to gain independence from Pakistan. Balawaristan is the historic name for Northern Areas.
Khan, like most other political leaders from the region, lives in exile in Europe. He said the Indian position was even more surprising considering the fact that most political formations in the area were now open to a merger with India.
Even an independent Balawaristan is in larger interest of India as it would not support terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Shaukat Kashmiri, leader of the United Kashmir National Peoples Party, one of the largest political formations in the region, also spoke about a reunification with India. His party had started out as Jammu and Kashmir National Peoples Party in 1985, but changed its name in 1993 to stress the pan-Kashmiri nature of the organisation.
Kashmiri, who has been kidnapped twice by the ISI, has been operating out of Switzerland for the past few years.
Though the leaders from *** complained about the Indian insensitivity to their concerns, it was quite clear that the seminar had the blessings of Indias official establishment.
Prime Ministers Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran made the inaugural address at the seminar which was also attended by quite a few former diplomats, Army officials and intellectual community.
hotklix |
Amitabh Sinha
WHILE India has been extremely sensitive about being seen to be getting involved in Pakistans internal affairs, a number of political groups in Azad Kashmir (***) have now been openly seeking New Delhis help in their fight against what they describe as their persecution by Islamabad.
Their argument is simple. Officially, India continues to consider the whole of Kashmir, including the areas under Pakistan control, as its own territory and therefore it becomes its duty to protect them against a foreign aggressor, which is how they describe Pakistan.
A motley group of these political leaders and intellectuals from areas around Gilgit and Baltistan in ***, referred to as Northern Areas by Pakistan, assembled in New Delhi to participate in a two-day international seminar on Society, Culture and Politics in the Karakoram Himalayas that was dominated by tales of discrimination and persecution of the people in these areas at the hands of Pakistans civilian and military establishment.
I am surprised that India has no concern about what is happening in Gilgit and Baltistan. Pakistan has been openly supporting and encouraging militants in Indian Kashmir and New Delhi doesnt even want to keep contact with areas that are officially still a part of its own territory, said Abdul Hamid Khan, chairman of Balawaristan National Front, a political party whose objective is to gain independence from Pakistan. Balawaristan is the historic name for Northern Areas.
Khan, like most other political leaders from the region, lives in exile in Europe. He said the Indian position was even more surprising considering the fact that most political formations in the area were now open to a merger with India.
Even an independent Balawaristan is in larger interest of India as it would not support terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Shaukat Kashmiri, leader of the United Kashmir National Peoples Party, one of the largest political formations in the region, also spoke about a reunification with India. His party had started out as Jammu and Kashmir National Peoples Party in 1985, but changed its name in 1993 to stress the pan-Kashmiri nature of the organisation.
Kashmiri, who has been kidnapped twice by the ISI, has been operating out of Switzerland for the past few years.
Though the leaders from *** complained about the Indian insensitivity to their concerns, it was quite clear that the seminar had the blessings of Indias official establishment.
Prime Ministers Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran made the inaugural address at the seminar which was also attended by quite a few former diplomats, Army officials and intellectual community.
hotklix |
