Thursday, April 1, 2010

Of Talks,Hope and Despair

http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21000

Of Talks, Hope and Despair

Sheikh Anjum Husain

Every time India and Pakistan announce fixtures for bilateral talks, hope and optimism is rekindled in the hearts of Kashmiris.
Unfortunately, past experience has also taught us that these ‘talks’ do not go beyond lip service to one of the most complex issues of the earth. Now before the foreign secretaries of both countries could sit across the table, incidents of terror in both states have plagued the goodwill gesture. To the pleasure of those who indulge in these heinous acts, the politicians and media on both sides let the shadow of terror fall on the so-called confidence building measures thus creating more room and atmosphere for terror.


Talks or no talks, terrorists have their way. Then why should the two warring nations let gory incidents hijack the milieu of resolving their outstanding issues? Talks have remained just talks and have not yielded any fruitful results in the past gradually turning hope into despair. Over 60 years on, there have been no serious attempts to pull this crises ridden state out of the quagmire.

People who take charge of the issue from time to time come and go earning name and fame for themselves from Kashmir issue and nothing else.
The frustration of the people of Kashmir could be gauged by the fact that religious bodies like Jamiat AhiHadtih found itself compelled to write to foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.We are striving to live in a global world where a pins’ drop in the east finds its echo in the west. So time has come for both nations to honor their commitments and not shy away from it just to fulfill their vested interests and keep the issue on boil. Need of the hour is that both India and Pakistan get not only all parties to the dispute on the talking table but those also who champion democracy in the world- US, UK, representatives from China, Gilgit-Baltistan, all neighboring countries, Pakistan administered Kashmir and not to forget the poor Kashmiri people who have been bearing the brunt of the dispute for so long for no fault of theirs. Only then can the dialogue be termed meaningful and the attempt as result-oriented.

The writer can be reached at anjum.valley@gmail.com