Ceasefire off, Musharraf invited

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, MAY 23. In a major shift of strategic gears, the Vajpayee Government today aborted the `Ramzan initiative' in Jammu and Kashmir and has revoked the `ceasefire' (non-initiation of combat operations). More significantly, it decided to invite the Pakistan Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to visit India ``at his early convenience'', in pursuance of the Lahore Declaration and the Shimla Agreement.

Also, Mr. K.C. Pant will continue his labours as chief interlocutor while the security forces will be free to go after the militants. The Army, though, would continue to exercise maximum restraint on the Line of Control.

These decisions were taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, presided; others who participated included the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, the External Affairs and Defence Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, the Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, Mr. K.C. Pant, and the National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra.

The Government's formulation avoided any mention of ``Kashmir'' in connection with the invitation to the Pakistani leader. According to Mr. Jaswant Singh, the talks could take place under the existing composite dialogue agenda, which has eight points, including Kashmir.

The decks for this evening's decisions were cleared when Mr. Advani and Mr. Singh met the Prime Minister. The two senior Ministers had gone to Srinagar last Saturday (May 19) to understand for themselves the ``ground situation''. In Srinagar, the two Ministers heard perceptions of the security agencies on how the militants had not reciprocated and how the security forces were finding themselves on the back foot.

An MEA show

Much of the talking at the CCS meeting was apparently done by Mr. Jaswant Singh who argued that the ceasefire had run its course and that it was about time the civilian population's sense of security was restored. According to a statement issued, the terrorists ``hindered the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and have inflicted misery upon the people''. Henceforth, the security forces should be free to take ``such action against terrorists as they judge best''.

Whereas the revocation of the ceasefire should satisfy Mr. Advani - who has had reservations about it - the invitation to Gen. Musharraf should gratify the Ministry of External Affairs, which has found itself under pressure from the international community to start a dialogue with Islamabad. In fact, the dominant input of the MEA in the decision was reflected when Mr. Jaswant Singh briefed the media after the meeting - it became an MEA show. It was also evident that the `Kashmir initiative' was no longer the preserve of the Prime Minister's Office.

The decision to revoke the ceasefire undermines the rationale of the Pant mission, though the Government's statement notes that ``our invitation to all sections in Jammu and Kashmir to join this dialogue (with Mr. Pant) is reiterated''.

Cutting APHC out

On the other hand, the decision to invite Gen. Musharraf has the effect of cutting the All-Party Hurriyat Conference out of the picture. The APHC has been positioning itself as the sole representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and was insisting on playing mediator between India and Pakistan.

By inviting the Pakistan Chief Executive, the Centre has rendered most of the Kashmiri groups rather issueless. Mr. Singh pointedly remarked that ``the APHC has no place in any kind of tripartite talks''.

(According to PTI, the Hurriyat chairperson, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, reacted cautiously to Gen. Musharraf being invited, saying ``let us wait and watch''. ``However, we still believe that tripartite talks could produce better results by including the principal party, which is Kashmir.'' About the calling off of the ceasefire, Prof. Bhat said, ``Ceasefire or no ceasefire, the situation will never change; and as a matter of fact the ceasefire never existed.'')

The decision to revoke the ceasefire, coupled with the invitation to Gen. Musharraf, is being explained as a signal to the various jehadi groups that they have not been able to dent the Indian state's capacity to cope with the insurgency. Mr. Singh was careful to assert that notwithstanding the invitation to the Pakistani leader, the fight against terrorism would continue (whereas earlier New Delhi had insisted on seeing evidence of Islamabad's willingness to rein in terrorists groups before any dialogue could take place with Pakistan).

It is believed that the Vajpayee Government has taken the care to brief all its leading allies as well as the major Opposition parties on its new approach towards Pakistan.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Next     : Pak. response positive