DATE= 05/29/99
TYPE= EDITORIAL
NUMBER= 0-08313
TITLE= EDITORIAL: KASHMIR FIGHTING
CONTENT=THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED FOR BROADCAST
05/29/99.
ANNCR:
THE VOICE OF AMERICA PRESENTS DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON A WIDE
VARIETY OF ISSUES. NEXT, AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
VOICE:
THERE HAS BEEN A DANGEROUS ESCALATION IN FIGHTING BETWEEN
INDIA AND PAKISTAN OVER THE DISPUTED TERRITORY OF KASHMIR. THIS
PAST WEEK, INDIAN COMBAT JETS AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS ATTACKED
POSITIONS OCCUPIED BY INFILTRATORS IN NORTHERN KASHMIR. INDIA
SAID IT WAS LIMITING ATTACKS TO ITS SIDE OF THE LINE SEPARATING
INDIAN AND PAKISTANI FORCES. BUT PAKISTAN SAID THAT SOME
AIRCRAFT CROSSED THE LINE. PAKISTANI ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE BROUGHT
DOWN ONE INDIAN JET, AND ANOTHER WAS EITHER SHOT DOWN OR CRASHED.
KASHMIR HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF CONFLICT BETWEEN INDIA AND
PAKISTAN SINCE BOTH COUNTRIES GAINED THEIR INDEPENDENCE FROM
BRITAIN IN 1947. AFTER TWO YEARS OF FIGHTING, INDIA AND PAKISTAN
AGREED TO A UNITED NATIONS CEASE-FIRE IN 1949 THAT LEFT ABOUT
TWO-THIRDS OF THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA UNDER INDIAN CONTROL AND THE
REST IN PAKISTANI HANDS. ANOTHER KASHMIR-RELATED WAR, IN 1965,
LASTED ONLY A FEW WEEKS, BUT HOSTILITIES HAVE SIMMERED EVER
SINCE. OVER THE YEARS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
KILLED. CLEARLY, THIS DISPUTE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED. AND AS BOTH
SIDES REALIZE, THE WAY TO DO IT IS THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN
INDIA AND PAKISTAN THAT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE WISHES OF THE
KASHMIRI PEOPLE THEMSELVES.
FORTUNATELY, INDIAN AND PAKISTANI LEADERS HAVE MADE SOME
RECENT DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGHS. IN FEBRUARY, INDIAN PRIME
MINISTER ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE [AH-'TAHL BIH-'HAH-REE
WAHJ-PAY-'EE] TRAVELED TO THE PAKISTANI CITY OF LAHORE
[LAH-'HOAR] TO MEET WITH PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF
[NAH-'WAHZ SHAH-'REEF]. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE TWO LEADERS
PLEDGED TO INTENSIFY EFFORTS TO RESOLVE THE KASHMIR DISPUTE.
THEY ALSO AGREED TO SET UP A SPECIAL TELEPHONE LINK FOR CRISIS
SITUATIONS. IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING USE OF
THAT LINK IN RECENT DAYS.
THE NEED FOR INDIA AND PAKISTAN TO RESOLVE THEIR DIFFERENCES
HAS BEEN UNDERSCORED BY OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL. A YEAR AGO,
INDIA AND PAKISTAN CONDUCTED NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS. AND LAST
MONTH, THEY TESTED IMPROVED VERSIONS OF BALLISTIC MISSILES
CAPABLE OF CARRYING A NUCLEAR WARHEAD. DOES ANYONE DOUBT THAT
ANOTHER INDIA-PAKISTAN WAR COULD HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES FOR THE
PEOPLE OF SOUTH ASIA?
ANNCR:
THAT WAS AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE WRITE TO EDITORIALS,
V-O-A, WASHINGTON, D-C, 20547, U-S-A. YOU MAY ALSO COMMENT AT
WWW-DOT-VOA-DOT-GOV-SLASH-EDITORIALS, OR FAX US AT (202)
619-1043.
28-May-99 4:06 PM EDT (2006 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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