Step by step approach needed
The seven decade old history of relationships between India and Pakistan is full of confrontation, violence and animosity. And while people in both the countries have been adversely affected by these strained relationships, people of Jammu and Kashmir have been the worst hit.
The strained relations between these two arch rivals not only means more trouble for the hapless people of Kashmir but also makes situation worse for the two countries as well. No wonder then that any peace overture whenever displayed by either of the two countries is keenly observed and followed by the people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rcently Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan renewed his offer for peace with India. Khan said that as soon as the general elections in India are over he will once again offer peace proposal with India and seek the resolution of the Kashmir issue.
However, India too responded back and said that terror and peace talks cannot go together and any move to start a dialogue Pakistan has to first reign in the militant groups which according to India are involved in violent activities in Jammu and Kashmir and other Indian states.
What is however, missing is the realization among the leadership in both the countries who fail to understand the complex and fragile relationship that exists among the two countries.
The leadership before embarking on any peace initiative should strengthen the confidence building measures among the two countries with the people of Jammu and Kashmir becoming an active participant in these CBM’s.
Amid such times, an initiative to bring people from the two sides of the Line of Control (LoC) together, seemed to be an utopian idea. Not many had imagined that people from one side of divided Jammu and Kashmir could travel to and trade with other side.
But with opening of Uri-Muzaffarabad and ChakaN Da Bagh-Poonch routes, we saw the unthinkable happen. It facilitated coming together of divided families and initiating and strengthening the trade ties between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
As such, cross LoC travel that started in 2005 and trade that started in 2008 are deservingly termed as the mother of all CBMs between India and Pakistan.
But since its inception, the run has never been smooth for the initiative. Both the travel as well as has been suspended several times. Most of the times, while the escalation along LoC would trigger such suspensions, we eventually saw the same trade and travel paving way for tempers to cool on both sides. In recent times, this escalation has almost became a recurring event and has had undesirable impact on cross LoC travel.
Cross LoC trade in particular faced many challenges, with vested interests trying to create a situation for complete closure of the services. The instances wherein narcotics were seized from the trucks that were originally meant to carry goods on the trade route have widely been seen as an attempt to discredit and malign trade service.
Recently, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) has asserted that the cross LoC route is being used by certain elements to fund militancy and unrest in the state and has reportedly recommended the closure of trade.
Whether it be cross LoC trade or travel, both the initiatives are facing serious challenges from the detractors of this huge CBM. It is time that the same be strengthened and turned into facilitators of harmony rather than acrimony between the two sides. The strengthening of these CBM’s can pave way for much bigger and strong initiatives that may help to end the animosity among these two neighbours.
KV Correspondent
