‘Summit is a virtue of necessity, Kashmiris should pray for its success’

A Kashmiri educationist tells Mufti Islah that the success of Agra talks depends on how accommodating Vajpayee and Musharraf are.

Agha Ashraf Ali

In his youth, Agha Ashraf Ali took a ride to Muzaffarabad and Rawalpindi on his Panther motorbike through the Jhelum Valley Road. Those were pre-Partition days and there was no Pakistan. Ali believes the Partition was a mistake as it ultimately divided the Muslims of India into those living in three areas.

For him, the success of the Agra summit hinges on how large-hearted Prime Minister Vajpayee and General Musharraf are before they sit for talks. ‘‘The summit is a virtue of necessity. Kashmiris should pray for its success, durability and show patience.’’

‘‘I see both India and Pakistan returning to the table in the future. They cannot escape from talking to each other if they want to cut defence expenditure and end poverty,’’ says Ali. ‘‘To save their people from impoverishment, they have to save expenses on defence forces on glaciers.’’

Respite for Kashmiris, he says, will be guaranteed only if both countries take concrete steps. ‘‘When Vajpayee announced the unilateral ceasefire, there was a positive reaction from Gen Musharraf, who ordered pull-back of troops along the Line of Control (LoC). Similar gestures can lead to future talks between the two countries,’’ he says.

Once a meaningful dialogue gets underway, militants coming over to India and the resulting security operations will cease. ‘‘The participation of Kashmiris and honest to God elections under the supervision of an independent body will solve the dispute forever.’’