NEW DELHI
The abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir in August 2019 made it clear that India’s Kashmir question is not open to negotiation, or that India does not need to make concessions on Kashmir for peace with Pakistan, an expert said. Author and international affairs columnist Raja Mohan said on Monday.
He was speaking at a book discussion program on ‘In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan Relations under Six Prime Ministers’ by Satinder Kumar Lambadh in the national capital on Monday.
International affairs author and columnist Raja Mohan said, “The Modi government came to power with a clear sense that the terms of dialogue with Pakistan needed to be changed. There cannot be a framework where India will make concessions.” Or the idea that the situation in Kashmir is open. And there will be no doubt the view that peace with Pakistan will require India to make concessions on Kashmir.”
He said that efforts have been made to engage with Pakistan under the Modi government, however, the old framework no longer works.
“I think this was fundamentally unacceptable to India. But within this framework, there was scope for engagement. PM, Modi went to Nawaz Sharif’s house in Lahore at short notice. So, there was a level of courage to reach out. But Also, made it clear that the old structure does not work,” he said.
Raja Mohan said that the abrogation of Article 370 has made it clear that India’s Kashmir position is no longer open to negotiation.
He further added, “Then the change in Kashmir’s constitutional status in August 2019 clearly meant ‘look what we do internally’. The question whether India’s Kashmir position is open to negotiation has been put to rest.”
At the same event, former Pakistan High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria said that in the history of 75 years, every prime minister has tried to normalize relations with Pakistan, but recently, “tolerance” towards terrorism has decreased. Along with the public, also at the level of the people.
“All prime ministers in India’s history have had a tendency to normalize relations (with Pakistan). If Vajpayee’s tendency was to take a bus to Lahore in 1999. And Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tendency was to give a speech in Amritsar. , Have breakfast in Amritsar and lunch in Lahore, and dinner in Kabul,” he said.
Bisaria said, “Don’t forget that Prime Minister Modi also went to Lahore. The government’s first 18 months were spent demonstrating what previous prime ministers have demonstrated. It was an instinct for Nawaz Sharif to attend PM Modi’s swearing-in.” ” After that, a series of meetings followed. The decision to start composite talks had already been taken. Even when the situation worsened in 2016, there were some efforts through constructive diplomacy.
He further said that the kind of terrorism India faced, especially the 26/11 attacks in 2008, has reduced the tolerance level in the country towards such incidents.
“What has happened in India is that the policy and public tolerance towards terrorism has come down. I will tell the kind of terrorism India faced in the 21st century and the biggest change happened in 2008. Since then there has been a decrease in tolerance. “Terrorism has reduced,” Bisaria said. This government will have to take a tough stand as there is a spirit of zero tolerance towards terror in India.”
After the removal of Article 370, there has been development in all areas in Jammu and Kashmir. This step has dealt a befitting blow to terrorism along with increasing employment opportunities, especially among the youth.
Affirming the changed scenario in ‘New Kashmir’ after the abrogation of Article 370, the Union Territory hosted the G-20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar from May 22-24 under the chairmanship of India.
