The Pioneer
No homilies please
India has done well to make it clear to the United States Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, that it will not have international observers monitoring the forthcoming elections in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). As the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Ms Nirupama Rao, stated during her press briefing on Sunday, "We don't need prescriptions and advice from self-styled monitors on how to conduct free and fair elections. We have been conducting such elections for the last 50 years."
Anyone even remotely familiar with India's robust democracy and its transparent electoral process will endorse her statement. The fact is that this country has nothing to hide in respect of its electoral process and the elections in J&K. This clearly explains Ms Rao's further statement that India has no objection to "diplomatic or media representatives or visitors in their individual capacity wishing to go to the State." The objection is to their investigating and certifying the elections because that will send to the world the message-totally false and humiliating to this country-that, left to itself, India cannot be trusted to hold free and fair elections in J&K. Rather, if the kind of rigging that took place during the referendum giving President Pervez Musharraf a five-year tenure in office, is any indication, it is Pakistan, where democratic governments have been notoriously ephemeral, that needs such observers for its October elections.
It is unfortunate that Mr Powell raised the matter with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr LK Advani, and followed it up by stating at a press conference in Islamabad that "India should do everything to ensure (that) polls in Kashmir met international standards by permitting international observers". Such pronouncements not only cast serious aspersions on India's democratic credentials but also encourage Pakistan to believe that if it can persuade American leaders to accept its view that elections would be rigged in Kashmir, it can, given time and effort, bring Washington round to the latter's indulgent pre-September 11 approach to cross-border terrorism against India. Indeed, one can perhaps already see some movement in that direction with the US repeatedly lauding President Musharraf's role in, and Pakistan's contribution to, fighting terrorism when terrorists continue to infiltrate into India from across the Line of Control and Islamabad has done nothing to dismantle the formidable terrorist infrastructure it has built up. Indeed, there is evidence to indicate that it is deliberately dragging its feet in cooperating with the US in apprehending Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists who have infiltrated from Afghanistan, that it is building new camps for several thousands of Al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, and that it is planning to send them across to J&K soon.
Instead of reading out homilies to India about the need to have international observers monitoring the J&K elections, the US should concentrate on making Pakistan honour its commitment not only to curb cross-border terrorism but also to combat terrorism wholeheartedly. Otherwise it will not be India alone that will be affected. Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, who have set up an effective underground network in Pakistan, are committed to striking devastating blows at the US itself.
