BJP TODAY

May 1--15, 2003 - Vol. 12, No. 09

Vajpayee creates history during Kashmir visit: Pakistan in a quandary
Worthless, face-saving response by Musharraf
By our special correspondent

Poet-statesman Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who could not enter the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 1953 along with Dr, Syama Prasad Mookerjee because he did not have the "permit" then, charmed the Kashmiris, confused the separatists and flabbergasted the Pakistanis by not only staying for full two days in the Valley in the face of threats from terrorism, but applied his own brand of "healing touch" to the people of this trouble - torn State.

Dancing women and cheering crowds of the valley responded so enthusiastically to the visit of Atalji that both friends and political adversaries could not but shower praises for this courageous leader of India. Atalji not only enclosed the "healing touch" philosophy of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed (excluding the terrorists and separatists) but also extended his hand of friendship to Pakistan, which has been fomenting militancy in the valley ever since October 1947.

Pakistan's response has been typical Musharrafesque, if that is the correct word, and it offered to hold talks with India "without pre-conditions", a cleverer by half move to deny any presence of terrorist in its soil or camps to train them kill the people of Kashmir Valley, particularly Hindus, as some "Jehadi" elements declared recently with obvious pride.

One may remind Musharraf what Atalji had said while making the offer of talks: "If Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism and declares that they had shut down all training camps for terrorists today, I will send a high official from the Ministry of External Affairs to Pakistan to fix the agenda for talks tomorrow."

There is no mention of terror and terrorism in the Pak response as if a Houdini has made the terrorists and their training camps disappear. Diplomacy is a game played by only intelligent people not duds.

But to come back to Atalji's visit. None of his illustrious predecessors, all votaries of "Kashmiriyat" had dared to visit the valley during the last 14 years. What is more, these venerable leaders had not had the heart to visit even the camps of Kashmiri Pandits in Delhi, Jammu and other places after they were driven out en masse from the valley by the terrorists on pain of death to the menfolk and dishonour to the women. It is obvious that all these worthies were trying to pander to their vote banks in avoiding to visit the camps.

Atalji did what the Kashmiri people had long been looking for. He met them, addressed a public rally, delivered the convocation address at the University in Srinagar and spoke to the media. What is more, he gave firm indication that the Kashmir valley from Qazigund to Baramula via Srinagar would get a railway train by August 15, 2007 by laying the foundation for a bridge over the Chenab near Qazigund (by remote control because of inclement weather). He promised to create employment opportunities for one lakh people and initiated work on the Srinagar by-pass road as part of his "dream project" of building four-lane highways totaling nearly 6000 kilometers within two years at the latest and about 14,000 kilometers of North-South-East-West corridors by 2007.

The poet that he is, Atalji assured the people of the State that "Baharein phir ayegi".