Pakistan remains single minded on Kashmir

With the secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan scheduled later this week, Pakistan appears to be reverting to a Kashmir-centered, single point policy toward India.

The business community which supported Nawaz Sharief in the February election, continues to favour trade with India. But Sharief's government has begun describing Kashmir as the core issue between the two countries, which must be resolved.

The army apparently is not willing to let the Kashmir question be kept aside in favour of developing trade and economic relations.

Last month, when Sharief was sworn in as prime minister, army chief General Jahangir Karamat told newspersons that the Kashmir issue could not be thrown on the back-burner.

General Karamat's views have since been extensively echoed by the press. The Nation, published from Lahore, which generally reflects the army's views, has quoted Sharief as saying, ''By the grace of Allah almighty Kashmir will be liberated during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League government.''

He said his government was considering ways and means of raising the Kashmir issue at all international fora including the United Nations, to pave the way for the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir.

Earlier, the Inter-Services Intelligence, gave a briefing on the regional security situation to President Farooq Leghari, Sharief, the army chief and top military and civilian officials. The briefing, as is only to be expected, mainly concerned relations with India.

The ISI maintained that India, by creating a sub-regional group in the South Association for Regional Cooperation -- SAARC -- was trying to isolate Pakistan. It mentioned India's missile programme, denial of permission to the Hurriyat leaders to attend the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the events in Kashmir and on the Siachen glacier, as indicators of its negative attitude.

Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan has made it clear that an upgradation of the secretary-level talks would depend on their outcome. The Pakistan foreign office, too, has said that it is premature to discuss the expected meeting between Sharief and Indian Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda during the SAARC summit in the Maldives in May.

Salman Khurshid, former minister of state for external affairs, will appear on the Rediff Chat on Wednesday, March 26, 2000 hours IST (0930 hours EDT) to discuss Indo-Pak relations. Be there!