Flaws in the view

Sir, - A View From Pakistan on resolving the Kashmir issue by Foqia Sadiq Khan (June 22) makes interesting reading. However, the view is heavily flawed for the following reasons.

The statement that India, aspiring to be a global power, should be able to ``rectify its past mistakes'' and by continuing that attitude ``will damage its own image further'' is absurd. If India's firm stand on the Kashmir issue has hurt Pakistan economically, it is because they have diverted the bulk of their resources in agendas such as hate-India, Kashmir, military preparedness and support for fundamentalism, jehad and terrorism. That lingering Kashmir issue will ``invite an onslaught of Muslim religious extremists in India'' and that ``Muslim extremism may spill over from Srinagar to the rest of India'' is another wishful thinking. The Muslims in India are not in favour of Kashmir being handed over to Pakistan just because a few misguided people in Srinagar have that opinion.

In my view, the only viable solution, as repeatedly suggested by Sheikh Abdullah, is to convert the Line of Control into international boundary with open borders. This will rescue Pakistan from economic collapse. It's for the Pakistani leadership now to accept it or keep the issue on the backburner like India, and carry on with its agenda for progress and prosperity. Pakistan needs to realise that with its policy of attrition against India, it has accumulated a debt of $21 billions, payable in the next three years.

Col. Ram Gulrajani

Chennai

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