Now that we are on our one billionth peace process with an inflexible neighbor, what do you think will happen when the dictator and Kargil architect visits India ?
The Foreign Secretary of India issued a statement asking the public not to expect any fireworks. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the good cop. I don’t think he can offend anyone with words. So that job was delegated to Pranab Mukerjee who said “Pakistan has double standards on terrorism“. While Musharraf thinks that time is running out (for him?), Natwar Singh said that “it would not be prudent to set any time frame for resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue and asserted that there is no question of taking Islamabad off the hook on cross-border terrorism.” The Prime Minister just mentioned that he has a long-term plan for the solution of the Kashmir problem, but it is in a lock box and will not be revealed to public.
What does Musharraf want? He wants to convert LoC to a soft border. This means no more passports for crossing the border. A terrorist from Karachi who wants to get into India can now go to Muzzafarabad, write some information on a piece of paper and cross to the Indian side of Kashmir and drive to New Delhi. Musharraf also wants an out of box solution which essentially is the code word for “wrap Kashmir in a box and give it to us”.
NewsInsight reported that India had agreed to a territory swap with China whereby India would give up some peaks in Askai Chin and China in turn would give up on the Eastern Sector, mainly Arunachal Pradesh. South Asia tribune reported that India would have a similar deal with Pakistan in which there would be a territory swap. This territory swap also has the blessings of the Indian Communists.
But looks like the territory swap will not happen as it is a big no no for India, but there will be more confidence building measures.

Officials said the CBMs related to more bus services between the two countries, including from Kasur to Indian Punjab and from Jammu to Sialkot besides opening more routes between the two sides of Jammu and Kashmir. They also said that India might raise the security issue of passengers travelling by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus and also offer joint security for passengers.
The inclusion of Defence Secretary Lt Gen (r) Tariq Wasim Ghazi in the delegation fuelled speculation that the discussions could cover the Siachen issue on which a limited agreement was reached last year. For the last one month, Singh has extensively consulted security experts and former diplomats.
Sources claimed that an accord on Sir Creek was also possible, as the leaders believe it would send positive signals. [India ready to grant concessions to Pakistan]

While India is big on these CBMs, this is not what Musharraf wants.

“Confidence Building Measures is not final solution to the problem and this time I am quite confident regarding the resolution of Kashmir dispute,” he added. [Visit to India not to meet Agra like fate: Musharraf]

Musharraf is coming with the hope that he will get territory. Indians are hoping to entice him with more bus services and paper napkin passports. So you get a feel for which direction these talks are heading to.
Related Link: No to Musharraf

If there a Guiness record for things that were banned, literature, movies, books, then India would be a topper. The latest one is Mani Sankar’s movie Tango Charlie which is based on the terrorism in various parts of India, mainly the North-East. Director Mani Sankar talks about his motivation behind the film:

I actually traveled to various parts of the country and saw the violence first-hand. One had to take it in totality. There

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is visiting India and some people are not thrilled about it, especially folks in the bastion of Left ideology – the JNU. They think the leader of a Communist country is not “Communist enough”.

“We are disillusioned with China

The most repeated story about Kashmir joining India is that, the Maharajah of Kashmir was a Hindu and he joined India without taking into cosideration the wishes of the Muslim majority population. Aravind Lavakare rebuts this with the following sequence of events that happened after the accession deed was signed

Even after its accession to the Indian Dominion, J&K’s internal administration was governed, not by a diktat of New Delhi, but by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution Act, 1939. It was under this Act that Maharaja Hari Singh appointed his former adversary, Sheikh Abdullah, as the emergency administrator for the state. The appointment was a victory for the people who simply loved Abdullah. He began giving them a large share in the administration of the state’s affairs.

Soon enough, the people demanded that the ’emergency administration’ be changed into a ‘responsible government.’ Compelled by the public, Hari Singh issued a proclamation on March 5, 1948 announcing the formation of an interim government with Abdullah as the prime minister aided by such other ministers as he desired to constitute a cabinet. This arrangement, said the proclamation, was pending the framing of a fully democratic Constitution by a National Assembly based on adult suffrage.

In June 1949, Yuvraj Karan Singh, who had ascended the throne after his father’s abdication in that very month, nominated four representatives to the Indian Constituent Assembly for deliberating on the framing of the Constitution of India. These four were the choice, not of the Yuvraj, but of Abdullah’s council of ministers. These J&K representatives made it abundantly clear to the Indian Constituent Assembly that their state’s association with India would be based only on the terms of the Instrument of Association, that the state was not committed to the acceptance of the Indian Constitution and that it would like to have its own Constitution.

On May 1, 1951, Yuvraj Karan Singh issued a proclamation declaring the convening of a State Constituent Assembly, consisting of representatives of the people on the basis of adult franchise, for framing a Constitution for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. For the purpose of elections to the proposed Constituent Assembly, the state was to be divided into territorial constituencies each with a population of 40,000 or thereabouts.

Elections to the Constituent Assembly were completed by August that year with the idolised Abdullah’s National Conference Party simply sweeping the polls. Addressing its first meeting held on October 31 that year, Sheikh Abdullah declared that the assembly’s objectives and functions included, inter alia, a reasoned conclusion regarding accession and the future of the state. He enumerated three alternatives: accession to India, accession to Pakistan and complete independence.

The ‘Drafting Committee’ of the above assembly presented its report on February 12, 1954. Its report, adopted on February 15, 1954, embodied the ratification of the state’s accession to India, with 64 of the assembly’s strength of 75 voting unanimously while 11 members were absent.

The State Constituent Assembly enacted, on November 17, 1956, a Constitution that is, today, the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir. It has 158 Sections. Section 3 therein says, ‘The State of Jammu and Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India.’ Section 147 in it prohibits any bill to amend Section 3 from being introduced or moved in either House of the State Legislature. [Catch up on history, Mr Aziz]

Even as early as 1951 elections were held in Kashmir and it was the elected Govt. that ratified the state’s accession to India. Abullah was a popular figure and genuinely had the support of the people and it was the people’s decision that they join the Indian Union.
One of the often raised slogans by Pakistanis regarding Kashmir is that they are living under occupation. This gives you an impression that they are living like slaves with no freedom for anything. Indian Kashmiris have the freedom to participate in elections and Patrix has a post which points out that Indian Kashmiris have more freedom that the entire population of Pakistan.

Let’s say someone hates you so much and goes around telling bad things about you. Then he calls a bunch of people and they walk around town raising slogans against you. But in the evening that person wants to come to your home for dinner. This is what happened to Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a senior Shia cleric and vice-president of the All India Muslim Personnel Law Board who was deported from Chicago on a law applied to people who are terrorists. But anything happening to a non-Hindu is sacrilage in India and immediately the secular folks are angry.

Given the US

This denial of American visa story is getting very interesting. As you know Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi was denied a visa to enter the United States.

“The United States is sending a subtle message by cancelling the visa of Narendra Modi. The message is that the US does not approve of the sectarian strife and communal violence in India,” Kalim Kawaja, a leader of the Indian Muslim Council-USA, said.
“Frankly we did not expect such a move from the State Department. It was quite a surprise for us too. We welcome it and we are happy that the US has taken a clear stand on the communal issue,” he said. [Modi visa: Muslim bodies hail US move]

But before everyone could rejoice, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a senior Shia cleric and vice-president of the All India Muslim Personnel Law Board was detained at Chicago Airport, and later deported. According to the NDTV report,

The Section under, which the Shia cleric was deported is used on those who support terrorism.
It has probably been used since he is known to have organised a number of rallies criticizing America’s attack on Iraq. [US denies entry to senior Shia cleric]

And then suddenly all the statements about America when visa was denied to Modi has become invalid.

Protests by the Lucknow Shias against the treatment meted out to Maulana Kalbe Sadiq by the US immigration authorities erupted on the streets when hundreds of Muslims raised anti-American slogans after the Friday prayers at Asafi Imambara.
The protests followed after Imam-e-Juma of the Asafi mosque, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad assailed the American government in the

What did the Indian Communists discuss with Musharraf other than their shared goal of not letting India become a superpower? A new proposal for solving the Kashmir problem was generally discussed between CPI (M) General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet and General Musharraf. This proposal is called “China Formula” not because the Indian Communists open umbrellas when it rains in China, but since it is based on the formula followed by India and China to solve their border problems.

The

The gloves are off. Far from trying to pacify New Delhi, King Gynanendra seems to be going out of his way to infuriate it. After he refused to meet Indian envoy Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, his government has rubbed salt into the wounds by imposing fresh restrictions on an Indian business venture.
United Telecom Ltd, an Indo-Nepal joint venture, has been asked not to register any more subscribers. Some 80 per cent of the stake in the company is held by MTNL, VSNL and Telecommunications Consultants (India) Ltd. The remaining 20 per cent is held by Nepal Venture Pvt Ltd.
South Block is upset and India plans to take up the matter with Nepal at the earliest. [Indian venture gets a rude wake-up call from Kathmandu]

We should quit saying we are the future superpower etc. We barely have any influence over our own neighbors, forget rest of the world. India has become a country which a superpower and a tiny country can slap around.

India does not think Narendra Modi is a criminal, and hence he was eligible to contest the elections and become Chief Minister. But the fact that India is a democracy and has a judicial system does not really matter to United States. But in fact just last week, Condi Rice saw democracy in Pakistan.
If you look at this episode, hypocrisy is abound. Naredra Modi played the fiddle while Gujarat burned. He had the responsibility to protect both the Hindus and Muslims who were murdered in the riots and he failed. But then who could raise their voice in India? The Congress Party sat idle while Sikhs were murdered after Indira Gandhi’s assasination. The Communists in various avatars as Naxalites, Maoists etc. murder people. But then does United States refuse visa to such people? No.
And then who gave United States the right to judge other countries? If they had standards like these no Chinese leader would be able to set foot here. How about Ariel Sharon or Yasser Arafat or Musharraf? Does United States refuse visa to such people? No.
So this is not about some high moral ground that United States is taking here. Someone exerted sufficient pressure to get this visa cancelled. This was a high profile game and some who selectively protest won. Will this means that criminals like Modi, from India and other countries be denied a US Visa in future. I don’t think so.
But as The Acorn points out, India’s issues are now globalized. For Kashmiri Pandits, this is an important lesson.
Update: The Indian Prime Minister’s statement

“Our government has clearly pointed out our very deep concern and regret over the US decision to deny a visa to a constitutionally elected chief minister of a state of our union. We have observed that this uncalled for decision be traced to a lack of sensitivity and due courtesy to an elected authority.
“The US government has been clearly told of our concern at this development. We have also called for the urgent reconsideration of this decision by the US government. Mr. Chairman, Sir, the American Government has also been clearly informed that while we respect their sovereign right to grant or refuse visas to any person, we do not believe that it is appropriate to use allegations or anything less than due legal process to make a subjective judgement to question a constitutional authority in India. [Text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement in Rajya Sabha]

Update: Few days back we blogged on the Indian flexibility while dealing with Musharraf. Even though he was responsible for the death of many Indians we treat him with respect. Ashish too points out the same and mentions that we should set our own house in order first.
Update: The denial of the visa was based on a report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). But now they have come out with the statement that they never indicted Modi or his Govt.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), whose findings the US claimed formed the basis for denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, today shot back at Washington, saying the Bush administration had blown its observations over the 2002 riots out of proportion.
”Our approach was mainly limited to the Best Bakery case…
there was no indictment in general of Mr Modi or his government,” a top NHRC official told UNI.
He was reacting to the US remarks that it revoked Mr Modi’s visa in response to ”a finding by the Indian National Human Rights Commission pointing to comprehensive failure on the part of the state government of Gujarat to control persistent violations of rights”.
The NHRC official, who requested not to be named, said the Commission did make ”certain observations” about failure of criminal justice in riot-ravaged Gujarat, but ”not to the extent they appear to have been projected by Washington”. [NHRC says US exaggerated its Gujarat observations]

No takers for JNU even in Bangladesh
According to the Feb 7 issue of the Hindustan Times, there are no takers for the seats offered by the Marxist bastion, Jawaharlal Nehru University, even in backward countries like Bangladesh.
The university scrapped the Dhaka exam centre last year because there weren’t many candidates.
This is not surprising, as JNU has never been known for academic excellence. Recently, JNU Teachers’ Association opposed the Indian tradition of respecting education. In 1989-90, JNU Students Union demanded that the minimum eligibility criteria for the junior research fellowship/lectureship examinations should be lowered from 55 percent to a level that would accommodate their intelligence.

Lot more gems on Amartya Sen, Sonia Gandhi, and Communists in the March report.