Kashmir - caught between India and Pakistan politics

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director of the Kashmiri American Council, again calls for conflict resolution for one of the longest continuing conflicts between two countries: Kashmir caught between India and Pakistan. The peace process needs to take into account the sensitivities of Pakistan, values the sentiments of India, and keeps intact the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says. He calls for dialogue and negotiations between the two nations – both through official and unofficial means – for non-violent dispute resolution, but add that the greatest hurdle is to get all parties to the negotiating table. Before all parties attend the negotiation process, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says it is crucial to embark on confidence building measures first to enable all parties to attain a sense of trust and act in good faith toward fair resolutions.

India and Pakistan governments have recently commenced negotiations, which the international community commended. However, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai says that what needs to be highlighted is the failure of both countries to recognize Kashmiri Leadership as a legitimate partner in the peace process. Kashmiris are the ones, he says, who are most affected by the ongoing conflict, and hence they need to play an important part in determining the future of their land and people. Therefore the three main parties involved in the peace process should be the governments of India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir – with the aim to come to an imaginative resolution through the flexibility of all parties.

(http://www.greaterkashmir.com/)

Martina Nicolls is the author of Kashmir on a Knife-Edge

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