Pak story in Kashmir is over: AS Dulat
Tarun Upadhyay
JAMMU, Apr 3: A S Dulat, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and former Intelligence Bureau (IB) special director said Pakistan story in Kashmir is over.
“Hurriyat’s story like Pakistan’s story in Kashmir is over. I don’t want to say it to Pakistani friends but there story in Kashmir is over,” said Dulat in an interview with a news portal.
Dulat, who also served as an adviser on Kashmir in the ex PM Late AB Vajpayee’s PMO from January 2001 to May 2004, said abrogation of Article 370 is permanent.
Dulat, once considered most powerful person on Kashmir affairs in the Vajpayee government, is widely believed to have close links not only with the mainstream political leaders of the valley especially Dr Farooq Abdullah but also in Pakistan.
He gave this interview on Mar 31, the day Pakistan’s commerce ministry announced to import cotton and sugar from India, the decision later reversed within two days.
Dulat said it’s Pakistan army chief Gen AS Bajwa and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are behind the latest move to improve ties and are in full control of it.
Pakistan and India have shown signs of improving ties which have been frozen since Aug 5, 2019 when Modi government announced abrogation of Article 370. India and Pakistan announced to adhere to 2003 ceasefire agreement.
” What I anticipate is that the road map was drawn up by both sides together..I am sure the two communicating on regular basis and would have been communication before the announcement of ceasefire was made,” said Dulat .
Dulat, though, added that positive thing people are hearing is that both Gen Bajwa and PM Imran Khan are on same page and also that people who know Bajwa have said he is “nicest” and “peace loving” general
Dulat , who has written book, Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years and co-authored another book The Spy Chronicle with Asad Durrani, former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence, said he believes the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit J&K.
“PM should visit Kashmir and assure the people of J&K that statehood will be returned and there will be no change in demography. That is the assurance the Kashmiris need and that is something the Pakistan will be able to sell across.”
Dulat said Modi during his prospective visit to Kashmir should meet all mainstream political leaders including Mehbooba Mufti, this he said would give confidence to Kashmiris and would also give sense that there would be a level playing field when ever elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir.
Former RAW chief said the since militancy is continuing in the Kashmir so Pakistan is not totally out of the Kashmir although they are holding back especially after ceasefire. “We can’t claim violence is finished in Kashmir.”
He said, though, Hurriyat story is over but Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is important player and sooner we (India) mainstreams him and bring him into political process it’s better.
“He needs to understand it and Pakistan too should understand it,” said Dulat. He said Mirwaiz had met former Dy PM LK Advani, former PM Manmohan Singh and even AB Vajpayee so we have already checked him out.
Dulat said India today is in the most powerful position than ever be vis-a-vis Pakistan as its vulnerable economically and this is good time to settle things.
“For this thing (improving ties) to really move forward, you need something spectacular, something out of the box, bold step like Prime Minister Imran Khan making visit to New Delhi. It will gather Indian and international attention,” said Dulat
On the media reports that UAE played a major role in brokering peace between India and Pakistan, he said there is strong possibility it is happening as UAE wants to take lead in the Arab world.
“It would be an interesting move as that would include US and UK as UAE has close relations with these two nations and has ties with Israel , so it’s not a coincidence that there (UAE) foreign minister was here a day after ceasefire was announced,” said Dulat.
He, however, added, UAE may have pushed things or done nudging but no one can push India and Pakistan as they are independent strong sovereign nations.
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