DATE=07/13/99
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-1137
TITLE=INDIA AND PAKISTAN COOL KASHMIRI BORDER DISPUTE
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE UNITED STATES PRESS IS PRAISING THE LESSENING OF
TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN OVER KASHMIR. REPORTS FROM
THE SCENE SUGGEST ISLAMIC MILITANTS ARE CONTINUING TO WITHDRAW
FROM MOUNTAINS OVERLOOKING INDIAN-CONTROLLED TERRITORY, AND
INDIAN TROOPS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE OVER THE VACATED POSITIONS.
THE INCURSION, MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, BY ISLAMIC GUERRILLAS INTO
PORTIONS OF INDIAN KASHMIR SET OFF FIGHTING BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES
THAT THREATENED TO ESCALATE INTO A FULL SCALE WAR, POSSIBLY WITH
NUCLEAR EXCHANGES.
THE DE-ESCALATION OF THE CONFLICT IS DRAWING PRAISE IN THE U-S
PRESS, AS WE HEAR FROM _________________ IN TODAY'S OPINION
ROUNDUP.
TEXT: AS MIDWEEK APPROACHED, THE PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ
SHARIF IS SAYING HE HAS TAKEN COURAGEOUS STEPS TO AVOID A
DANGEROUS WAR IN SOUTH ASIA AND SUGGESTS IT IS NOW INDIA'S TURN
TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE OF TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO NEIGHBORS.
HE IS ALSO CALLING ON THE WORLD COMMUNITY TO HONOR ITS COMMITMENT
TO RESOLVE THE KASHMIR PROBLEM.
KASHMIR IS THE ONE INDIAN PROVINCE THAT IS POPULATED BY A
MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS, WHILE IN THE REST OF INDIA, MUSLIMS ARE A
LARGE MINORITY. PAKISTAN IS ALMOST TOTALLY A MUSLIM NATION, AND
THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE FOUGHT THREE WARS SINCE THE PARTITION OF
BRITISH INDIA AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR, TWO OF THEM DIRECTLY
OVER CONTROL OF KASHMIR.
FOR YEARS, GROUPS OF KASHMIRIS HAVE AGITATED AGAINST INDIAN RULE,
AND LET IT BE KNOWN THEY WISHED ANNEXATION BY PAKISTAN. THE
LATEST INCIDENT ALONG THE BORDER BEGAN IN MAY WHEN A GROUP OF
ISLAMIC GUERRILLAS INFILTRATED INDIAN-CONTROLLED TERRITORY HIGH
IN THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS, AND BEGAN FIRING AT ROAD TRAFFIC
BELOW.
THE U-S PRESS IN GENERAL, AND "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE" IN
PARTICULAR, IS PLEASED AT THE LATEST TURN OF EVENTS.
VOICE: THE WORLD CAN SLEEP A BIT EASIER TONIGHT AS THE THREAT
OF FULL-SCALE WAR -- AND THE POSSIBILITY OF NUCLEAR
HOLOCAUST -- SUBSIDES IN SOUTH ASIA. AFTER TWO-MONTHS
OF FIGHTING IN .... KASHMIR, INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE
AGREED TO A TRUCE OF SORTS. ... AFTER MEETING LAST WEEK
WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON AND PROMISING 'CONCRETE STEPS' TO
END THE CONFLICT, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF
INDUCED AT LEAST SOME OF THE ISLAMIC GUERRILLAS TO
WITHDRAW FROM THE BORDER WITH INDIA -- THOUGH INDIA SAYS
THEY WERE MERELY RETREATING AFTER BEING ROUTED ON THE
BATTLEFIELD. [MR.] SHARIF MAY NOT GET COOPERATION FROM
ALL THE 'FREEDOM FIGHTERS,' SOME OF WHOM VOW DEFIANCE.
BUT IF PAKISTAN HAS BEEN PROVIDING THEM MEN AND MATERIAL
SUPPORT, AS IS GENERALLY BELIEVED, IT CAN PROBABLY GET
MOST OF WHAT IT WANTS. ... PRESIDENT CLINTON PROMISED
[MR.] SHARIF HE WILL TAKE A PERSONAL INTEREST IN
KASHMIR, BUT INDIA'S DISTRUST OF THE UNITED STATES
SUGGESTS THAT PRIMARY LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO COME FROM
OTHER MAJOR POWERS OR FROM THE UNITED NATIONS. IT IT
DOES NOT COME FROM SOMEWHERE, THE NEXT CRISIS IN KASHMIR
MAY HAVE A MUCH GRIMMER ENDING.
TEXT: ON LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, "NEWSDAY" PLEADS WITH BOTH
SIDES, IN ITS EDITORIAL HEADLINE: "DO NOT PUSH [THE] WORLD TO
[THE] BRING AGAIN OVER KASHMIR.
VOICE: INDIA AND PAKISTAN HAVE MANAGED TO PULL BACK FROM THE
BRINK OF ALL-OUT WAR OVER KASHMIR, IN WHAT COULD HAVE
BECOME A DISASTROUS CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE WORLD'S
NEWEST NUCLEAR POWERS. THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT, AND THE
REST OF ASIA ALONG WITH IT, CAN NOW DRAW A CAUTIOUS SIGH
OF RELIEF. WHAT'S NEEDED NEXT, AFTER CALM HAS FULLY
RETURNED, IS TALKS TO NEGOTIATE THE FUTURE OF THIS
TURBULENT REGION AND PREVENT THE RECURRENCE OF ANOTHER
ETHNIC-RELIGIOUS WAR OVER KASHMIR /// OPT /// ... JUST
AS URGENTLY NEEDED WILL BE THE OPENING OF REGIONAL
DIALOGUES AMONG ASIAN AND PACIFIC POWERS -- WITH CHINA
AND THE UNITED STATES INTIMATELY INVOLVED -- ON LIMITING
THE DANGERS POSED BY NUCLEAR ESCALATION AND A MISSILE
RACE IN THIS VOLATILE PART OF THE GLOBE. /// END OPT
///
TEXT: "THE [CLEVELAND,OHIO] PLAIN DEALER" RAN THIS COLUMN BY
INDEPENDENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS WRITER JONATHAN POWER FROM LONDON,
JUST BEFORE THE PULLBACK BEGAN.
VOICE: THE IDEA THAT THE DECISION TO GO TO WAR OR NOT TO, TO
PULL THE NUCLEAR TRIGGER OR TO ABSTAIN, LIES WITH SHADOW
FIGURES NEITHER ELECTED NOR IN PUBLIC POLITICAL OFFICE
IS THE MOST DISTURBING OF ALL THE ELEMENTS IN THIS
LATEST CONFRONTATION IN KASHMIR. IF NORMAL CHANNELS OF
AUTHORITY, NORMAL CHAINS OF COMMAND AND THE NORMAL
DISCIPLINES OF NUCLEAR ACTORS ARE NO LONGER GERMANE IN
THIS HIGHLY CHARGED SITUATION WHAT CAN THE REST OF THE
WORLD DO? CAN IT SIT BACK AND TRUST INDIA AND PAKISTAN
SIMPLY TO SOBER UP? THAT IS TO TAKE AN ENORMOUS GAMBLE.
TEXT: IN ANOTHER COMMENTARY WRITTEN, JUST BEFORE THE SITUATION
EASED, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES" SUGGESTS THAT BOTH NATIONS MAY
HAVE GAINED SOMETHING IN THIS LATEST CONFRONTATION, AS LONG AS
WAR IS AVERTED.
VOICE: ISLAMABAD CAN CLAIM TO HAVE DRAWN THE WORLD'S
ATTENTION AGAIN TO KASHMIR. INDIA HAS INDICATED
WILLINGNESS TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF KASHMIR, BUT
ONLY AFTER THE GUERRILLAS WITHDRAW. ... CONTINUING THE
FIGHT JEOPARDIZES PAKISTAN AT LEAST AS MUCH AS INDIA.
TEXT: LASTLY, INDIAN POLITICAL COLUMNIST RANJAN GUPTA, WRITING
THIS WEEK [7/13] IN "THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE" IS CONCERNED AT
THE ONE-SIDED NATURE OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN PRESIDENT CLINTON
AND THE PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER NEWAZ SHARIF, THAT IS SO FAR
DEFUSING THE TENSION.
VOICE: THE U-S-PAKISTAN AGREEMENT IN THE KASHMIR CONFLICT MAY
BE A CASE OF TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. ... INDIA IS NOT A
PARTY TO THE U-S-PAKISTAN TALKS. ... SECOND, THE PACT
CALLS INTO QUESTION HOW MUCH CONTROL PAKISTAN HAS OVER
THE INFILTRATORS. ... FURTHERMORE, HOW CAN THE ISLAMIC
MILITANTS LEAVE WHEN INDIA HAS REFUSED TO GUARANTEE SAFE
PASSAGE FOR THEM?
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE OF CAUTION, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF
COMMENT FROM THE U-S PRESS ON THE SITUATION IN KASHMIR.
NEB/ANG/RAE
13-Jul-99 2:21 PM EDT (1821 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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