Musharraf's K formula the second best: Research
IMTIYAZ Ahmad
Srinagar, Oct 31: After the elusive plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf’s four-point formula is the second best option available for the resolution of the complex Kashmir issue, according to a research conducted by a Kashmiri student.
The findings sum up a research titled ‘Musharraf’s 4-point formula: A study in Kashmir Response’ by Sameer Ahmad, a Kashmiri scholar at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Kashmir. The extensive research, carried out over a period of two years, says a staggering 68 percent of the people in Kashmir believe that the formula is a significant initiative towards normalization of the relations between the two nuclear neighbour-countries.
It was in December 2006 that Pakistan, then led by General Parvez Musharraf, departed from its traditional stand and came out with his four-point formula on Kashmir resolution.
The formula included “identifying certain regions, demilitarizing the identified regions along with curbing militant aspect of the freedom movement to give comfort to the common people in Kashmir, introducing self-rule in these areas and developing a joint mechanism with India, Pakistan and certain degree of representation from Kashmir to oversee self-government and deal with residual subjects common to all identified regions”.
The research shows that a vast majority of Kashmir population (59 percent) believes that the porous border between the two nuclear countries - India and Pakistan - not only helps increase the economic well-being but also facilitates restoring of the much-needed peace in the subcontinent.
On the question of demilitarization, an overwhelming 87 percent people believe that troops have to be withdrawn. There is a widespread notion that Kashmir is a heavily militarised region, not only in South Asia but across the globe.
Although there is some kind of uncertainty over the element of self-governance and joint management, still a significant 43 percent of people consider these as helpful to resolve the over 60-year-old dispute.
The proposal, when floated, received fair amount of acceptability and mention in both the mainstream political circles and the moderate faction of Hurriyat; however, the Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Geelani outrightly rejected the proposal. The proposal has also been criticized on the ground that it was said to be based on religious identities.
Says Balraj Puri, noted journalist and human rights activist, “The proposal is based on religious identities which defies the ground realities. A solution to Kashmir problem on religious basis was unacceptable to India as it would threaten not only the secular basis of the country but also the unique Kashmiri identity and peace in the subcontinent.”
Musharraf's K formula the second best: Research
