Of Composite Dialogue
By the Editor

AMID hideous steps by India for mounting its military might – in forcibly occupied part of the Himalayan State of Jammu & Kashmir to strangulate the people struggling against tyranny – a review of the fourth round of composite dialogue has been planned towards the end of next month.

Keeping in view the awful plight of people in held-Kashmir – it is vital that the new Government should make clear to New Delhi that there is no use for ‘dialogue for the sake of dialogue’ – as by all norms of justice people want to see solid results in place of a mere interaction – through such an exercise.

Of-late, Foreign Office spokesman at a media briefing while answering a question said that Pakistan had rejected a proposal from Farooq Abdullah of occupied Kashmir for establishment of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ on the pattern of South Africa for the resolution of the dispute.

Such a suggestion might have been the brain child of the Indian Government – mooted through a proxy – to sideline the Kashmir issue as it is contrary to a clear, consensus and principled Pakistani stand on the issue.

On important issues, there is seldom change in the foreign policy of a country with the change of governments and surely - going by the consensus of Pakistani and Kashmiri people, the Government will adopt the policy of the predecessors.

We think that the new Government is ought to keep in mind that President Pervez Musharraf had offered a number of options for the solution of Kashmir issue but there has, by now, no response from the Indian side.

As a matter of fact, Pakistan must emphasize at the talks that the focus has to be on the resolution of the core issue of Kashmir.

At the same time – Pakistan must express its strong views over the discovery of one thousand nameless graves in Kashmir – and ask India to allow international human rights organizations to conduct an independent investigation into the issues of disappeared persons and discovery of these graves.

If India is willing for a serious dialogue to resolve problems with Pakistan – with the core issue of Kashmir – atop, Islamabad may welcome it.

Otherwise there is no use of prolonging these talks and this must be made clear to the other side – in a categorical way.

At the same time – we would like to beam a caution that any deviation from the national consensus would not be acceptable to the people of Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir State.

Optimistically – it could serve as a charge sheet vis-à-vis the Government – in times to come.●