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Expectations
from 14th Sept summit
FOR UNDERSTANDABLE reasons, a feeling is growing that New Delhi is perhaps
not quite serious to address the Kashmir issue. Even Pakistan Navy Chief of
Staff Admiral Shahid Karimullah articulated this perception the other day at
Islamabad when he told newsmen that no headway had been made on Kashmir and
that he hoped the forthcoming summit in New York scheduled for 14th
September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session between
President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
would help push forward the; peace process. President Musharraf on Friday
also stated that at his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in New York
he would try to accelerate the composite dialogue which is moving forward at
a painfully slow pace. While the officials from the two countries have held
a series of meetings to iron out differences on various issues and
resultantly a number of confidence building measures have followed the
stalemate on Kishanganga project and Baglihar Dam persists. Leading Kashmiri
leaders visited Pakistan two months back and Islamabad has declared that it
would encourage Azad Kashmir leaders to visit the Indian held part of the
disputed state to continue their dialogue in an effort to find a solution to
the decades old issue acceptable to all parties involved.
Let us face the ground situation. The core issue has lingered on for over 57
years. Islamabad and New Delhi appear to be sticking to their hitherto
officially declared positions. The issue has become more complex with the
passage of time. The two sides as also the Kashmiris are required to take
hard and painful decisions to end the conflict which has resulted in three
wars between two South Asian giants. Things have however changed. Pakistan
and India are known nuclear powers now and they naturally desire to avert an
armed conflict which is going to be a nuclear conflagration this time
around. Washington in particular has been strongly urging the two nations to
resolve the issue which is central to the conflict in the sub continent. The
composite dialogue is progressing though at a very slow pace. To make
meaningful progress on Kashmir dispute resolution exercise, Pakistan and
India shall have to take bold decisions. It is generally agreed that the
present leadership in the two rival countries can alone show courage and
vision to move away from the stated positions in the interest of lasting
peace in the region. Needless to mention, peace will guarantee prosperity of
teeming millions in the sub continent and the leadership is committed to
make sacrifices.
Pakistan has accepted India’s view that no time frame could or should be
given to resolve the thorny issue but endless talks will generate
misunderstanding. There is as one may call the trust deficit between
Islamabad and New Delhi. That deficit must be wiped out. September 14
meeting is very, very important for those who yearn to restore peace in
South Asia. Much should not be expected though from that summit but we do
hope the composite dialogue will be accelerated. Already the Foreign
Secretaries of Pakistan and India in a joint statement issued on Friday
stated that the secretary-level contacts should be resumed in January next
year. January is rather far but what is important that the two sides must be
interested to settle their disputes through the composite dialogue. So far
there is little evidence to doubt New Delhi’s sincerity.
Economic progress & people’s rights
CHINA’S breathtaking economic
growth, laments the United Nations, is not matched by progress on human
rights front. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour,
during her visit to Beijing this week advised China to tie its economic
growth to faster improvements in the legal and political rights of its
people.
While the UN body’s concern for human rights in the Asian country, that is
fast emerging as the economic superpower and global player, is
understandable, it is difficult for a nation of over a billion people to
change overnight. The rising Asian giant is decidedly different from small
nation states of, say, Eastern Europe. People’s movements in countries like
Ukraine and Georgia and the Baltic states, which suffered long under
communist dictatorships, led to dramatic improvement in rights situation and
even change of governments.
China’s case is more complex. A country that suffered centuries of foreign
occupation and then one-party rule for the past five decades will certainly
be slow in accepting any change in the status quo. It certainly cannot
change according to a timetable dictated by an external agency. This is why
the world may have to hurry slowly while persuading China to improve its
rights record and offer greater political freedom and liberties to its
people.
China’s long march to economic progress and development has been highly
impressive, to say the least. The Chinese made products — from cheap
electronic goods to computer spares to textiles — have flooded the world
markets from end to end putting an end to centuries of Western monopoly of
world markets. It seems there is practically nothing that China cannot make
or produce. This is perhaps the most strategic shift in global equations in
the past couple of centuries.
However, instead of pursuing conventional military power, China has
resolutely proceeded to arm itself with economic muscle. Which is a clever
and sensible strategy considering it is the economic power, not conventional
power or weapons of mass destruction that will determine the power equations
in the 21st century.
However, China would be mistaken to assume it could keep its people happy
with economic prosperity. All said and done, there is no alternative to
political freedom and civil liberties. China will have to gradually but
decisively push political reforms allowing its people greater freedom and
say in the country’s decision making process.
The one-party rule of the Communist oligarchy can never be the substitute
for genuine democracy. Only a China that is at with peace with itself
internally can aspire for a leadership role in the world affairs.
—Khaleej Times
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