Terrorists will take over Kashmir if given independence: Kashmir expert

Terrorists will take over Kashmir if given ‘azadi’: Kashmir expert
Sunday, 08.24.2008, 11:27pm (GMT-7)

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: For India to give up Kashmir and allow it to form an independent country would be disastrous as international terrorist outfits like the al Qaeda will take immediate control of it, according to Dr. Vijay K. Sazawal, a policy analyst and a commentator who specializes in local governance and intra-community issues affecting political dynamics within the Kashmir valley.

Dr. Sazawal, who is international coordinator of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum and founder of KashmirForum.Org, finds no credence in the views of some Indian intelligentsia who suggest that India should let go of Kashmir as it is nothing but a drain on the Indian taxpayer as well as on the armed forces. “Such opinions are nothing new, they keep coming up every time there is a flare up in J&K,” Dr. Sazawal says.

“Reality is today even if India were to announce that Kashmir is independent and free, every country in the world, especially those that are fighting in Afghanistan, will make sure that India wouldn’t do something stupid like that.” And that, he says, is because international terrorist outfits like the al Qaeda will immediately take control of Kashmir and make it their haven. “You cannot create a country like that right next door, which will create a global problem,” says Dr. Sazawal. Fresh trouble erupted in Jammu & Kashmir on May 26 after the Congress-led government at the Center decided to transfer 100 acres of forestland to the Amarnath Shrine Board, which was to construct shelters to facilitate the annual Hindu pilgrims to Amarnath.

Elections in the state were scheduled for October, and the Amarnath land issue was picked up as an election ploy by the People’s Democratic Party led by Mufti Mohamed Sayeed, according to Sazawal. “But it got out of control.” Protests led to violent demonstrations both from the Kashmiri separatists and the Amarnath land supporters, eventually leading to several incidents of firing by security forces over the last two months, which claimed several casualties. The Valley is now echoing to renewed calls for ‘azaadi’ by the insurgents.

The issue has also become an excuse for Pakistani forces across the border to indulge in unwarranted firing. Dr. Sazawal has written extensively on the current political turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing for new and innovative approaches in understanding and resolving the simmering discontent in all communities and regions of the State. Based in Washington DC, Dr. Sazawal has been invited by the US Administration, the US Congress and major policy Think Tanks to address various aspects of the Kashmir problem. He is also a member of a non-governmental organization accredited to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and frequently speaks in Geneva on changing political and human rights situation in Kashmir.

For full report:

http://indiapost.com/article/usnews/3666/