President Musharraf has categorically stated that the Kashmir Problem may be resolved sooner than later. According to him “reasonable progress” has been made between the two rival claimants of the troubled State. There had earlier also been a strong rumour floating all over the place that India and Pakistan have reached some sort of an understanding through back channel diplomacy for the resolution of the decades old vexed problem of Kashmir. It was said that the approach to the ultimate solution already worked out is being gradually disclosed to the public on both sides in small instalments. The rumour had been confirmed by no less a person than the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Mr.Khurshid Ahmad Kasuri himself. According to him agreement has been reached and there are only minor glitches. He has also mentioned that it may not be the “First Best” solution for all the three parties, India, Pakistan, and Kashmiris, but it is the “Second Best”. It is also being speculated that the solution has been brokered by the United States of America. However, what the final solution actually is, no body knows! The signals emanating from various politicians give a rough indication of the approach proposed to be taken for working out a solution. First is the now most controversial and the most talked about demilitarisation. Politicians of all hues and shades and from all streams have been battering this word for last couple of months. Precisely from the date of the TV interview of President Pervez Musharraf. In fact, the very next day of the interview speculations started. The mainstream Kashmiri leaders clung to the prop put up by President Musharraf. Rather taking a cue from his interview, they gave their own interpretation. Demilitarisation was supposed to mean re-location of troops from the populated areas. Sending them back to barracks. Musharraf himself was not very clear about it. Self rule was given the interpretation of more autonomous governance without the over-riding intervention of the Central Government but within the constitution of India. However, some of the leaders of the popular movement gave their own explanation. Demilitarisation was total withdrawal of the armed forces and not only from the civilian areas. They even specified time for the beginning of the process. It was emphatically stated that the withdrawal will begin in three months. It was such a matter of fact statement that one felt the person issuing the same had been specifically told about it. Then came denials from the authorities on Indian side and it was termed mere speculation by no less a person than the Prime Minister himself. Kashmiri leader’s subsequent statement about accepting ad hoc governance till the final solution is achieved within 5 or 10 years also indicates his being in the circle of people knowing about this first approach to the solution. It is said that one of the mainstream Kashmiri politicians also got a whiff of this agreed proposal and he hijacked it as his own agenda and raised a tremendous hype about it thereby forcing both sides to take him also on board. It is also alleged that the Indian Government has second thoughts about the agreed proposal and to confuse and dilute it, they themselves asked the mainstream leader to raise the hype about demilitarisation but in a totally different context. Holding of the third Round Table Conference of only the mainstream leaders also betrays the Central Government thinking on these lines. In addition some other mainstream leaders have also become vociferous about the violations of basic human rights of Kashmiris. They are all praise for the militant leaders on the other side whom they were continuously bombarding earlier. All these leaders must have smelt something which has forced them to come closer to the agenda propagated by leaders of Kashmir’s Freedom Movement so as to get on to the bandwagon. Till recently they were dismissing them as misled youth who had gone astray. Now they are claiming that without their participation Kashmir problem cannot be resolved. On the other hand some of the staunchest militant leaders who were not prepared for any contact with the India Government are welcoming opportunity for participating in a dialogue for peace. There seems to be lot of back channel diplomacy going on and probably it has moved faster than the actual dialogue process. As already mentioned, one of the popular leaders went to the extent of being prepared to look at some ad hoc arrangement for governance for a period of five to ten years till a final solution was agreed upon. It sounds like testing the waters by releasing agreed plan in bits and pieces. However, one thing is definite that all are not on board the plan. It has been reported that BJP has made it known to other side that they should not go for an agreement with the present government but should wait till they come back to power. Like Vajpaye, Dr.Manmohan Singh also wants to be part of history by piloting the solution of this most vexed problem which is probably the oldest one at the present moment. While on one hand there is a tussle going on between political stalwarts for taking the credit for an ultimate solution, on the other hand there are plenty of vested interests putting all types of spokes in the wheel. The stakes for them are so high that they can go to any extent to sabotage the whole process. In the final analysis it is the grass which is getting trampled in all these processes. The misery and suffering of Kashmiris who are facing the brunt is getting prolonged more and more. There is not a single day when two to three Kashmiri young men are not killed as militants belonging to one or the other organisation. The security agencies announce their names, designations, and organisations in such a matter of fact way as if they have been given a list of all such cadres by the concerned organisations in advance. It is like soldiers carrying their name and number tags around their necks in a real war! If one believes that the Kashmir problem has been resolved between the two giants of the sub-continent behind the scenes, then it must also be admitted that Kashmiris are not a part of the solution. The way they are being eliminated, harassed, and subjected to worst type of human rights violations without any one losing even an iota of sleep over such incidents on both the sides of the divide, clearly establishes that they do not count much in this high level agreement. The two sides are forced to accommodate them, being an unwanted nuisance but the accommodation is being attempted without disturbing the overall status quo. It is a pity and in fact, the extreme misfortune that the Kashmiris have no advocates now to plead their case. Every body seems to have abandoned them. All said and done, if the problem is near resolution without fully taking into account the basic aspirations of Kashmiris, then whatever is the agreed solution, it will not last very long. After all the sacrifices and the suffering they have gone through, Kashmiris may not be prepared to accept the “Second Best” solution. There is a new generation of Kashmiris, which has come of age in a situation of continuous conflict and has seen only violence and a brutal suppression by security forces. Moreover they are faced with a bleak economic future. They are hounded and harassed both within as well as outside Kashmir. Their number is at least three to four hundred thousand. Their patience is slowly reaching its end. It is they who need to be addressed first. It is they who can lead towards a solution. An important leader of these youth has recently warned that if the peace process is not accelerated, the next generation of Kashmiris would be only of Fidayeen (suicide squads). It is a grave warning and based on an experienced assessment. He must have understood the frustrations of the restive youth. Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s recent rally at the martyrs’ graveyard is an indication of the feelings of the people. Whatever may be the final resolution or whenever it may come, there are some basic and urgent measures needed to give relief to the Kashmiris who have been for a long time now in the line of fire. The first is the freedom from soldiers, uniformed or otherwise. Second is an honest and efficient administration for running the day to day affairs of the state. Third is the absolute freedom for travel within the state to all parts on both sides of LOC, outside the state within India, Pakistan or abroad. And the final is the achievement of the “Place of Honour and Dignity” promised to Kashmiris by umpteen leaders umpteen times. How the last goal will be reached and when, can be debated in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. The vicious circle of violence has to end first and an era of honest and credible development has to begin. That alone will show the way to resolve this tragic problem!