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What Lies Ahead For Kashmir As India-Pakistan Agree To Ceasefire? OPED

India and Pakistan reached the ceasefire arrangement at the Line of Control (LoC) and all the sectors with effect from midnight February 24/25, 2021.

It is a happy augury to know that India and Pakistan finally agreed to a ceasefire.  We welcome it. The ceasefire announcement offers hope for peace in South Asia if the course of justice is followed and parties concerned undertake to abide by its commitments.

A lot more can be achieved from this ceasefire announcement if a focus is put on concrete proposals and those proposals are so framed as to admit alterations in the negotiating process without detracting from the principle involved. We believe that talks between the civilian government and armed forces of India and Pakistan are the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue that has dominated the South Asian region for the last 73 years.

Much ink has been spilled over the maneuvering of DGMO’s that resulted in such an unexpected development.  I do not believe that such speculations are edifying.  More enduring motivations must be explored to grasp the nettle of what the future may hold for peace and justice in Kashmir.

Map-Jammu-Kashmir

The people of Kashmir share a vision of peace and stability between India and Pakistan and of progress and prosperity in Kashmir. They want the people of India and Pakistan to live in peace,  prosperity and happiness.

That is why they believe that the Kashmir conflict has to be resolved through peaceful negotiations between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri leadership and not through military means.

They agree that lasting peace, harmonious relations and friendly cooperation will serve the vital interests of the peoples of the two countries, enabling them to devote their energies to a better future.

Ambassador M.K.Bhadrakumar, retired Indian Foreign Service Officer said on  March 1, 2021.” India’s past experience has been that the best means to push back at western pressure on Kashmir is by highlighting that we have a direct, bilateral line of communication with Pakistan and there is no need for gratuitous interference by third parties. Therefore, the sky is the limit, so to say, to build on the DGMOs’ statement — provided, of course, there is political will.”

In the past, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan agreed at the United Nations on September 24, 2004 “to explore all the possible options to settle the issue of Kashmir.”  Then exactly one year later, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at the United Nations on September 16, 2005, “What I do believe, I have also said that borders cannot be redrawn but we must work together to make borders irrelevant.”

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistani Foreign Minister welcomed the agreement saying “It could be a good start for the future. India will have to abide by this ceasefire agreement with sincerity. How can we make progress on the issue of occupied Kashmir unless the environment is conducive.”

Indian Ministry of External Affairs, however,  in its reaction, said on February 26, 2021: “India desires normal neighborly relations with Pakistan. We have always maintained that we are committed to addressing issues, if any, in a peaceful bilateral manner.”

And four days later, on March 2, 2021, Pawan Kumar Badhe, on behalf of the Permanent Mission of India said at UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Jammu & Kashmir was an integral and inalienable part of India.

We believe that a ceasefire can be useful if it reflects a sense of urgency and prepares the ground for an earnest effort at the forthcoming SAARC meeting to frame a step-by-step plan of settlement.

The mere announcement of a ceasefire will in no way defuse the situation permanently. Unintentionally though, it will mock the agony of the ceasefire rather than assuage it.

The ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad can be meaningful if it is accompanied by practical measures to restore an environment of non-violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

This can be done by:

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