PM Modi walks the Srinagar talk

In hindsight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Srinagar on November 7 can be decoded with a fair degree of practicability that has come to the fore now. The way India and Pakistan have taken baby steps to defreeze their relationship in public view in Bangkok and Islamabad has given a meaning to the words that Modi had spoken at a rally in Srinagar, where much of the content was lost in the Rs 80,000-crore package and the omission of the P (Pakistan)-word in his nearly 45-minute-long speech.

“I don’t need any advice from anyone as to how to go about Kashmir,” Modi had said. This was read as a snub to Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti who had urged him to revive the Vajpayee-era spirit of friendship with Pakistan in the larger interests of the people of the state.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had “extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan,” in April 2003 from the same Sher-e-Kashmir stadium wherefrom Modi was speaking last month. Although Modi vowed to follow the Vajpayee mantras of “humanity, Kashmiriyat and democracy” yet the audience felt that he was a different man and would not walk the talk the way his predecessor did. There was a strong feeling that Modi had missed an opportunity in addressing the political issue of Kashmir. “Kashmir is not a problem that can be addressed by economic packages alone,” former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is a master on foreign policy issues, had commented.

Over three weeks (from November 7 to November 30) were utilised in working the details as to how Modi would move on the intrinsically intertwined issues of terrorism and Kashmir. His meeting with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Paris marked the end of the homework. Now it was time for action. Bangkok offered the next stop where the two countries held talks.

There is a lot of concurring evidence that suggests that the threads of the Ufa spirit were picked up the day Nawaz Sharif appointed Lt Gen Nasir Khan Janjua (retd) as Pakistan’s National Security Adviser divesting Sartaj Aziz of this position. Aziz had made his position untenable when he had threatened India with “deterrent nuclear weapons,” thus alarming the world. With terrorists having a field day in Pakistan, and given the motivation and high-paying capacity of terror groups, particularly ISIS, this is a real-time possibility.

India had to respond to Nawaz’s gestures, and it did. The Paris meeting was a short stopover. The smiles exchanged in New York during the 70th anniversary of the United Nations had a meaning to them. Thereafter, Modi’s speech in Srinagar gave a full meaning to it. What exactly was in his mind has been revealed on the camera reels and the written word after the Bangkok talks.

The Congress and also some within BJP have voiced their concern that “Kashmir should not have been discussed in a third country.” Their argument would have been valid had India’s major concern on terror been kept off the table. Both terrorism and Kashmir were discussed there. Kashmir is a victim of terrorism and Pakistan is believed to be the perpetrator. How does it matter if the notes are exchanged in Delhi, Islamabad or some other place? Strategically, it may be viewed as a shift. But the reality that needs to be acknowledged is that when talks are scheduled in Delhi and Islamabad, they rarely take place. The spirit is lost in the hysteria worsened by the jingoistic media.

Before and after the failed or cancelled talks, the Hurriyat turned out to be a roadblock to the bilateral dialogue. It may be too early to judge the outcome of the talks, but what is clear is that the work is in progress.

It is important here to recall that when Aziz held a press conference on the eve of the UN session, he was asked a question: “Will the Pakistan government meet Hurriyat leaders in New York before the remotely possible talks with your Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in the US?” The Pakistani NSA had replied: “No. That’s not possible.” Clearly, Pakistan was under internal pressure to talk to the Hurriyat on Kashmir only when the talks were to be held either in Delhi or Islamabad. This time Hurriyat leaders had been left on the margins.

Now after Paris, the threads of dialogue are expected to be picked up in Islamabad during the “Heart of Asia” conference, where Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to push things forward. Modi’s Srinagar moment is getting translated on the ground.