By Muhsen Ali
Indian activist suggests uninterrupted, uninterruptible dialogue, focus on Jammu Kashmir, more contacts between two neighbours
Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of India’s Mumbai-based Observer Research Foundation (ORF), shared a lot of inspiring ideas with politicians, intellectuals, thinkers, diplomats, retired bureaucrats and peace and human rights activists to engage Pakistan and India for a meaningful but uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue process to address all issues including Jammu Kashmir.
“India will have to accept ground reality in Kashmir which is a core issue,” he said this while addressing a round table discussion – arranged by the Pakistan Forum – here on Monday. Former foreign affairs minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Forum, presided over the dialogue in which a large number of diplomats, retired military officers, intellectuals, educationists and civil society activists will participate in the discussion.
“Even military officers and soldiers are not in favour of what is going on in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. India will have to accept realities in the disputed state,” he said. “War is not an option to settle affairs so both Pakistan and India will have to reengage in dialogue process for a peaceful coexistence,” he said.
With all humanistic approach, Kulkarni, a close aide to former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, shared his opinion and his thoughts openly and wisely, following applause from the audience. He said that India would have to accept the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as this multi-billion dollars project will bring prosperity in the region. “India must join CPEC with open heart,” he said, and suggested to connect CPEC with BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) Forum for Regional Cooperation, a sub-regional organisation aimed at greater integration of trade and investment between the four Asian countries.
In his thought-provoking speech, he said that Pakistan, China and India will have to work together to make this region a better place. Accepting the idea of the two nation theory, he suggested that Pakistan and India must convert this (theory) into a “two nation together theory.” In a clear way, he also said that no one should think about separating Balochistan from Pakistan. “Balochistan is partof Pakistan and will remain part of Pakistan,” he said.
“Everyone Indian will have to give all respect to geographical boundaries of Pakistan,” he said. “Pakistan is a reality,” he said, and also cleared that the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was nothing without Pakistan. He appreciated role of Pakistan in regional peace.
Kasuri proposed back-channel diplomacy for the resumption of comprehensive dialogue and reengagements between Pakistan and India, asking top government functionaries (on both the sides) to avoid provocative statements against each others. “We have to avoid provocation on both sides as not war but dialogue is the only solution,” he said.
