Omar's shift to MEA significant

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JULY 23. The shifting of the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr. Omar Abdullah, to the External Affairs Ministry is a strong indicator of the Government's intention to strengthen its position on the Kashmir issue.

Since Mr. Abdullah is the only member from Jammu and Kashmir in the Council of Ministers and happens to be the grandson of the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, his main job will be that of an image-builder on Kashmir. The Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee's decision, especially in the wake of the setback at Agra, conveys a lot about the Government's plans on the future strategy vis-a-vis Kashmir. Focussing on the centrality of Kashmir at the summit and after, the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, succeeded in making it an issue which had been pushed to the background by the earlier bold initiatives of Mr. Vajpayee which included the unilateral ceasefire as also his invitation to the General. While it did not make much impact at the ground level, the ceasefire yielded good results internationally and was termed a bold step by powers such as the United States. With these gains having been sidelined, a damage control exercise would be in order.

With Mr. Omar Abdullah moving to the MEA, New Delhi is planning to reshape its Kashmir policy. He will be in the forefront of advocating India's stand on Kashmir and countering Pakistan's claim, particularly in Muslim countries. An articulate politician as he has turned out to be, he was recently chosen by the Prime Minister for his team to Malaysia and Iran.

A report said the Malaysian President, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, was surprised to see him and was quoted as saying, ``we were thinking that there was strife in Kashmir and were not expecting a Kashmiri Muslim in the Indian Government.'' Similarly, when Mr. Vajpayee went to meet Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, only Mr. Omar accompanied him. Later, he was sent to Libya as part of India's campaign in Muslim countries. Officials who know Mr. Omar closely in Delhi are impressed with his style of functioning. ``His shift to the MEA will help the Government to a great extent in its stand on Kashmir, especially in Muslim countries,'' said Mr. Tahir Mohiuddin, editor of the mass circulated Urdu weekly Chattan.

It is likely that Mr. Omar will accompany the Prime Minister to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. Mr. Omar himself is content with the change though he says he had many projects for his State in the pipeline. ``It is a challenging task,'' he told The Hindu.

Back home in Srinagar, the National Conference rank and file is in an upbeat mood terming his shift to an ``important Ministry'' an honour for the State.

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