Finally the Centre has agreed for a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir problem. Departing from its earlier stand the Centre has given free hand to the mediator so that he can talk to every stakeholder. The move effectively means that talks are possible even with Huriyat, the separatist organisation with which the Centre till recently was not willing to talk alleging that the organisation was pro-Pakistan. So far there is no positive response from the Huriyat side. But if Kashmir observers are to be believed, Huriyat in near future may join the peace process. Will it be able to bring back permanent peace in Kashmir?
Chances are remote because while initiating the peace process the Centre has made a mistake by declaring that the talks will be under the purview of the Indian Constitution. Experiences from North East clearly prove that conditional dialogues can never achieve the desired results. It is no gainsaying that success in a negotiated settlement depends on both sides’ eagerness to discuss the problem without any bindings. Results can be achieved when both sides feel free to express their opinion. Only then the gap between the two sides will become narrower. The decision to hold talks without any precondition with various underground outfits in the North East including the Naga outfits stands as a testimony to this fact. Distrust has evaporated. Peace has made a comeback. Though a lot of things are yet to be done, unconditional dialogues have made it certain that no one is thinking of picking up guns once again.
In case of Kashmir, the Centre has made this mistake. This mistake can prove costly in future. Why should a side join a conditional peace process which is demanding separation from India? It will automatically raise a question mark about the stand that the organisation maintained for years. Moreover it will be clear that the side has given up its demand even before the negotiation started. Will any separatist organisation take the risk? So no matter with how many organisations one is talking to, peace will continue to elude Kashmir until and unless all guns are silenced through unconditional negotiations. We know that it is not easy for any government to take such a decision. Here, it can be mentioned that the then Union Home Minister S. B. Chavan held 18 meetings before finally giving nod to unconditional dialogue with Naga outfits. Besides, one should remember that P. V. Narsimha Rao Government at any point during its five year tenure didn’t enjoy brute majority, as the Narendra Modi-led Government enjoys in the Lok Sabha at present. Yet the late Narsimha Rao showed enough courage to initiate dialogues with various Naga outfits without any condition. So keeping national interest in mind, it will be better if Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a leaf out of his predecessor’s book and go ahead with talks without any precondition. On the other hand, one must remember that whatever stands the government takes, efforts from all concerned is required to bring back peace in the ‘Paradise on Earth.’ So no one should indulge in adopting a stubborn attitude. Remember, a conflict situation harms both the sides. There everyone is a looser. Thus to create a win-win situation for all, everyone should devote all energies to make the recent efforts of the Centre successful. So that peace can make a comeback in Kashmir after years.
