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Kashmir
"Disputed Territory" Says U.S. Congress Research
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Map of the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir showing areas under control of India, Pakistan and China
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By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
New
Delhi, November 29 (IslamOnline) - A research paper released recently
in Washington says Kashmir is a "disputed territory," and
the dispute should be resolved through negotiations between India and
Pakistan, keeping in view the wishes of Kashmiri people.
This
is basically a reiteration of the U.S. position on the issue.
The
paper presented by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the
Library of Congress seems to be taking a different line than India,
which says that there would be no negotiation with Pakistan as long as
infiltration of alleged Pakistan-trained fighters into
India-controlled Kashmir continues.
"In
late October, State Department Director for Policy Planning Haas met
with senior Indian ministers and urged New Delhi to initiate
negotiations with Pakistan despite ongoing infiltration by separatist
militants into Indian-held Kashmir," the paper said.
CRS
papers are meant to help Congress on issues.
The
"despite ongoing infiltration" clause in the paper
represents a sharp divergence between the Indian and U.S. positions on
negotiations.
In
an interview with BBC’s Tim Sebastian telecast Monday, November 25,
Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha was asked why did
India avoid negotiating with Pakistan. Sinha shot back, "Does the
West talk to Osama bin Laden?"
India
accuses the United States of double standards on terrorism, for being
hard on Al Qaeda and "soft" on Kashmir fighters.
The
latest paper has been released only two weeks ahead of the scheduled
visit of Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra to
Washington.
Mishra
intends to complain about U.S. "soft" attitude towards
Kashmir fighters.
The
Congressional paper clarifies that the problem of Kashmir is
"rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition and
competing claims to the former princely state of Kashmir."
It
also shows concern over the presence of nuclear weapons in India and
Pakistan.
"India
is believed to have enough plutonium for 75 or more nuclear weapons.
"Pakistan
may have enough enriched uranium for 25 nuclear weapons, although some
reports suggest that Pakistan may have an arsenal that is larger than
India’s," according to the paper.
So
far India has been complaining of infiltration from Pakistan but
refusing to deploy international monitors on the Line of Control
(LoC).
However,
the CRS paper says that "India has accepted the U.S. proposal to
deploy sensors and monitors on its side of the LoC to monitor
infiltration."
Interestingly,
the CRS paper recognizes Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what it is,
"the political arm of the extremist Hindu organization Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh."
It
is a party which "advocates ‘Hindutva’ or an India based on
Hindu culture. Much of its support comes from professionals and upper
caste groups."
The
tenor of the latest CRS report is different from another such report
in early September which said, "There is a real danger that an
independent Kashmir, given the jihadi nature of some of the
groups, could end up as another permanent sanctuary for Islamic
extremist terrorist operations."
Regarding
infiltration across the LoC, it said a system was required that would
not only allow India to present proof of reported incursions, but also
enable Pakistan to refute any false claims.
The
latest report comes out with the proposal on sensors and monitors on
the Indian side of the LoC.
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