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India, Pakistan Vie for Kashmir by Granting U.S. Support
By Mosbah Allah Abdel Baki
ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (IslamOnline) - Both India and Pakistan have pledged their support to the U.S. in its war against terrorism, hoping the U.S. would in turn help each of them gain Kashmir, a source of conflict between the two countries since 1947.
In a televised interview with the BBC, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf focused on the importance of Kashmir while justifying his support to the U.S.
He stated that supporting the U.S. in its war against terrorism would help in solving the Kashmir issue.
Political analysts say India also supported the U.S. with the aims that it may be rewarded with Kashmir. They added that India's strategy to support the U.S. depends on fulfilling the following goals.
1. Convincing the U.S. and the international community that they face the same "terror" from Pakistan and Kashmir as from Afghanistan, while at the same time exert efforts to place Pakistan on the international list of countries harboring terrorism.
2. Attack mujahedeen (fighter) training centers in Afghanistan. India claims that
mujahedeen from throughout the globe are trained in areas under Taliban authority. They then, allegedly, enter Kashmir and fight Indian troops. India also claims that Osama Bin Laden is equipping
mujahedeen in Kashmir with weapons and money.
3. Support Afghanistan ex-monarch Zaher Shah in returning to power as a means by which to secure an advocate government in Afghanistan.
4. Benefit from the Israeli lobby in the U.S. - Israel and India have signed many agreements in the past years - both countries consider Pakistan a common enemy.
Analysts said Pakistan, for its part, has also put forth its strategy to benefit from the current situation, which includes the following steps:
1. With India expecting Pakistan to defend the Taliban, Pakistan succeeded in foiling the Indian plan by supporting the U.S. stance against Taliban.
2. Pakistan is vying for a sympathetic government in Afghanistan, considered a strategic neighbor to Pakistan.
3. Pakistan is also trying to convince the U.S. to differentiate between the mujahedeen movement and terrorism.
Analysts say that solving the Kashmir conflict will depend on which diplomatic efforts are favored by the U.S.
Kashmir is situated in the eastern north of Pakistan. Its area is 217,935 thousand square kilometers and roughly 90% of its population is Muslim.
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