SAARC meeting and Indo-Pak spat over Kashmir

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in Islamabad to attend the 7th SAARC Home Ministers Meeting, which discussed SAARC conventions on "Suppression of Terrorism" and "Additional Protocol and Convention on Mutual assistance in Criminal Matters". 

The Indian minister's visit to Pakistan came at a time when tensions between the two nuclear armed states of South Asia is running high, because of violent unrest that has gripped Kashmir since early July this year.

Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a young Hizbul Mujahideen commander in Indian Kashmir, effectively used social media to create a huge following, particularly among the younger generation. Wani, who carried a reward of Rs. 10 lakh, came out of his hideout for Eid celebrations and was killed along with two associates by the Indian Army on July 8, 2016. The news of Wani's death immediately triggered massive protests across the valley. In an outpouring of grief, thousands of people participated at his funeral prayers.

The valley has been under continuous curfew since July 8 – continuously violated by angry stone throwing youths. So far killed 55 people have been killed in the violence and more than 5,000 injured, hundreds with pellet wounds on their faces.  A Pakistani critic described it as "Kashmir's Intifada".

According to SAARC practice, Pakistan, which will host the 19th Summit, has to organise a series of meetings preparatory to the summit. Accordingly, the 7th Meeting of Home Ministers was organised by Pakistan from August 3-4, 2016. As Home Ministers from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka were not participating, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh also originally thought of skipping the conference. But when Pakistan's Parliament passed a resolution asking the United Nations to investigate the "human rights violation" in Kashmir, the Indian minister decided to attend the meeting to counter this position. Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called Wani a "martyr" and observed July 19 as a "Black Day" in 'support' of the people of Kashmir.

Speaking at the meeting, Rajnath, without naming anyone, stated, "It also needs to be ensured that terrorism is not glorified and is not patronised by any state. One country's terrorist cannot be a martyr or freedom fighter for anyone". Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in response said, "Violence against freedom fighters in a disputed territory under Indian occupation is state-sponsored". He called for respecting the fundamental rights of people and stressed that legitimate freedom struggles should not be suppressed in the name of fighting terrorism.

Actually, this is where the fundamental difference between the discourses of the two countries lies. Any movement in Kashmir is seen by India as terrorism, abetted by Pakistan. Pakistan, on the other hand, claims uprisings in Kashmir to be a struggle for freedom that is 'suppressed' by India.

Rajnath did not have any bilateral meeting with Khan, barely shook hands with him, did not attend the luncheon organised for the delegates, and seemingly left the meeting in a huff. Khan also demonstrated his ire by walking away from the luncheon, which other attending delegates found insulting. Rajnath's coolness towards Pakistan and Khan's discourteous behaviour once again reflected the bitterness in their countries' relations.

Interestingly, the media in India did not report what Khan said at the meeting. Pakistan too blacked out Rajnath's speech. Rajnath's 25-hour trip to Pakistan has come under severe criticism by Indian media. A senior journalist described Rajnath's trip as "journey to nowhere", while another accused him of giving Pakistan an upper hand. On the unrest in Kashmir, Indian newspapers accused Delhi of  "living in denial on Kashmir." It does appear that this meeting did nothing for either India or Pakistan.

As Kashmir continues to bleed Congress MPs criticised Modi and Rajnath for not taking any initiative to restore peace in the valley. Delhi is busy accusing Pakistan and does not seem to have any policy on how to handle the situation. It wants to quell the uprising militarily and has given the army carte blanche for "area domination". So far there has been no attempt by Modi to open political dialogues with Kashmiri leaders, although he has finally issued a statement, reaching out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, seeking dialogue with them on the basis of "insaniyat (humanity), jamhuriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat." The PDP-BJP coalition government, led by Mehbooba Mufti also seems to have run out of ideas on how to restore normalcy in the valley.

The other most significant development is the generational divide in the valley. The new generation of youngsters, totally alienated from mainstream Indian polity, were not even born when unrest broke out in the1990s. They have grown up in fear, hatred, and disillusionment. The 1940s generation of older Kashmiris, who were familiar with the narrative of the Partition of 1947, are either long dead or no longer active. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference recently wrote, "Over 100,000 Kashmiris have laid down their lives. The baton of freedom has passed on to our fifth generation".

Pakistan, it seems, is unable to connect with young Kashmiris - politically or religiously. Pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir is on a decline.

What is disturbing is that both these ministers departed from the SAARC Charter by introducing a contentious bilateral issue at a SAARC meeting. It is unfortunate that high drama Indo-Pak spats at almost all SAARC meetings stymies the organisation's effectiveness. Delegates from other member countries are always careful not to be seen taking sides in these unsavoury incidents.

As the demand to hold talks grows, Modi will surely step in to restore peace, which will no doubt be ephemeral, as the main issue remains unresolved.

The writer is former Ambassador and Secretary.