Democratic White House hopeful,Barack Obama has, in a recent interview, suggested that United States should try to help resolve Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan. Obama believes that if efforts are made to resolve the issue, that has been plaguing the relations between the two nuclear neighbours since 1947, it would help address the problem of militancy in the region. Obama seems of the opinion that Pakistan, at the moment, is not able to fight militancy effectively as besides militants in its country, it is also focused on India because of the Kashmir issue. The US presidential candidate believes that if his country facilitates better understanding between the two countries and try to resolve Kashmir issue, Pakistan could stay focused, not on India, but the militants operating on its soil. Obama’s remarks indicate that the world is concerned about the relations between India and Pakistan and is eager to see the two countries treading the path of peace and reconciliation.
Though while talking about Kashmir resolution, Obama is more concerned about Pakistan militancy that, in association with Taliban, is making things difficult for US in Afghanistan but the statement clearly indicates that US would prefer Indo-Pak amity instead of enmity. Gone is Cold War era when US would want India and Pakistan to be at logger heads. The better ties between these two countries would undoubtedly help restoration of peace not only in the region but in the entire world as once the two join hands, they can tackle the menace of violence more effectively. That is what Obama is hinting at and in the process; the two countries would also be able to settle the dispute over Kashmir once for all.
Whether Obama wants it to happen or not, fact of the matter is that India and Pakistan can’t and should not remain stuck to the beaten tracks as for as the status of their mutual relationship is concerned. Times are changing and the two need to change with an eye on strengthening process of peace and reconciliation. The fresh initiative the countries took vis-?-vis starting the trade between the divided parts of the Jammu and Kashmir and the earlier decision of opening the routes across Line of Control (LoC) is a good beginning. Though, at the moment, the trade seems more symbolic but if the countries are really eager to find some lasting solution to the vexed problem of Kashmir, they will have to make trade and travel more trader and traveler friendly. The more contacts and communication, economic as well as psychological, between the divided people, the less intense would be the conflict. Kashmir is such a complicated issue given the regional, ethnical, lingual and religious diversities of the state that resolving it in a jiffy would be asking for too much. It would need a step by step approach and subsequently the two countries should also focus on other matters of bilateral interest. It is better for the two countries that while moving forward in their sustained peace process, they, on either side of the divide, keep their communication links open with the political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir too, of course of all shades and opinions.
NEWS BY APAKISTANNEWS.COM
