J&K: Respecting Wishes of the People
Published in Kashmir Herald, Vol 5/No. 5, by Prof. K. N. Pandita.
In a recent statement Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman said that any solution of Kashmir issue along the Line of Control (LoC) was unacceptable to Pakistan. He stressed that a solution should respect the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The spokesman was reacting to the advice of MQM leader Altaf Hussain that the option of LoC as a solution of the dispute should be considered by both sides.
This is not the first time that Pakistan is talking about “respecting the wishes of the people.” Ever since the two countries began talking bilaterally, Pakistan has been repeating the mantra of the wishes of the people of the state. Indian press has seldom ventured to reflect objectively on the subject. Therefore we think it is important to help the Pakistan side recollect the historical background of the question of ascertaining the wishes of the people. There is no harm in engaging the Pakistani spokesman in a dispassionate debate in order to clear some cobwebs of confusion and misreading.