Hopes rise in Kashmir
A spokesman of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit that is active in the Valley, has sounded rejectionist.
The Centre on Wednesday announced a “conditional” ceasefire in Kashmir for the Ramzan period, after an appeal from chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had recently held an all-party dialogue and passed a resolution in favour of a temporary truce, with only the state BJP sounding a dissonant note.
The ceasefire announcement comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, and it’s hoped some positive developments may emanate from the move. Much depends on what Pakistan does next.
In the backdrop of a recent edition of the Neemrana Dialogue, the Track Two interaction with Pakistanis, for which Indian participants visited Lahore a few weeks back, it remains to be seen if the ceasefire will take us on to defreezing India-Pakistan relations, and the consequent calming down in the Valley.
A spokesman of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit that is active in the Valley, has sounded rejectionist. But that may be Pakistan’s way of testing the waters. In 2000, then PM Atal Behari Vajpaee had announced a Ramzan ceasefire, a much appreciated gesture, to win over Hizbul Mujahideen, the key Pakistan-backed terrorist force in Kashmir. But Pakistan stymied that move.
Given this, moves by Lashkar and Valley separatists, who take their cue from Pakistan, will be watched. During Ramzan, Indian forces will now not initiate anti-militant actions and will act only in self-defence or to protect innocent persons. Since New Delhi has so far scoffed at a political dialogue as the way ahead in Kashmir, it’s to be seen if the Centre has anything in mind beyond Ramzan even if the terrorists refrain from attacks and the ceasefire holds.