The latest person to claim publicly the destructive potential of decades old Kashmir problem is Timothy Roemer, President Barrack Obama’s nominee for Ambassador to New Delhi. Roemer told the Foreign Relations panel during his confirmation that Kashmir was a delicate and sensitive issue and US would diplomatically encourage India and Pakistan to talk about its resolution. He indicated that US would use all means in front of the scenes and behind the scenes to get this issue resolved. These appear to be very sublime thoughts depicting “genuine” US concern for peace in the world in general and in South Asia in particular. However, past experience has shown that all the concern for peace shown by the western powers led by USA is coloured by their own global interests. A cursory glance over the stances of US Government on the vexed issue of Kashmir for last 60 years or so reveals not only varying degrees of concern but sometimes totally contradictory postures. They have in fact used this disputed land, termed by CIA as the oldest militarised piece of territory in the world, as a tool to further their global as well as regional interests. All these years they never made an honest and genuine attempt to sort it out but kept the pot boiling as per their requirements.

In the recent past, former US President Bill Clinton during his visit to India and Pakistan called it a “Nuclear Flash Point”. In fact, the New York Times correspondent during the visit of the US President interviewed me about Tourism in Kashmir. He started his article saying that I had the most difficult job of selling a tourist destination which was called by the US President as the most dangerous place on Earth! In spite of such grave concern expressed by Bill Clinton nothing substantial was done by his administration to bring peace to this zone of perennial conflict. Americans have only been raising hopes of the people to dramatic heights by the expression of extreme concern but when it comes to taking some positive action, they have always dithered on one pretext or other. It can be termed in their own phrase as, “Lot of pinning but no productive action!” Claiming to be the leaders of the free world they have always given a go by to the principles of equity, fair play, and justice in preference to their own long term goals. In case of Kashmir, they have mostly tried to strike a balance between their ties with India and Pakistan.

In earlier times they were very keen about the rights of Kashmiri people and unconditionally supported their struggle for the right of self-determination. They in fact through their ambassador Adlai Stevenson went to the extent of encouraging Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to bid for an Independent Kashmir. This was the excuse used by India in 1953 for his long incarceration. Following his detention, Sheikh Abdullah was hyped up as the tallest leader of Kashmir and almost the entire world was following his long struggle for the emancipation of Kashmiris. The whole thing came to an abrupt end with his capitulation in 1975. This episode also forced USA to tone down their support for the rights of the Kashmiri people. However, the events of 1990 again brought in a dramatic change and the Americans once again became the champions of the Kashmir’s cause. Outspoken declarations of Robin Raphael and her unescorted travels throughout Kashmir in the peak of militancy bear a witness to the just stance taken by the Americans during those days. But the events of 9/11 changed all that. The US turned aggressively against anything connected with Islam and Muslims. The Bush administration labelled all Muslims as terrorists and Islam as a religion of terror. It was totally anathema to the word “Muslim”. According to him, there were only two kinds of people in the world. Either with US or against US. There was no third choice. He would not touch anything with a Muslim label even with tongs! Once Kashmir’s freedom fighters became Islamist terrorists. US straight away bought the Indian slogan of “Cross border terrorism” and forgot all about the basic cause of the violent upheavals in Kashmir earlier eulogised by its own diplomats.

There has again been a change after the installation of the new US President, Barrack Hussein Obama who has been trying to undo the damage caused by the previous administration in American relations with the Muslim world. It was after a long time that a US diplomat recently in public upheld the rights of Kashmiri people. The US under secretary William Burns declared in New Delhi sometime back that any resolution of Kashmir dispute had to take into account the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Not withstanding the venomous diatribe of the Indian columnist M J Akbar calling it an act of lunacy depicting his more loyal than the king attitude, the declaration was the realistic admission of the ground situation in Kashmir. For last couple of years Kashmir has become virtually a highly inflammable “Tinder box”. Even a small spark makes it blow up destructively. Unfortunately, the Indian authorities are not realising the dangerous potential of the situation. Even if they do, they are being held back by the possibly strong emotional consequences of any decisive steps which are required for its resolution. Over last more than half a century Kashmir has been made a very strong emotive issue by the leaders of the sub-continent. Logic and reason have been given a back seat. Highly obsessive attachment to Kashmir has made both sides waste their precious resources in creating lethal weapons instead of raising the living standards of their suffering masses. No doubt the two countries have been adversely affected in their development activities due to this intractable problem but it is the Kashmiris who been directly in the line of fire for last couple of decades. This attitude of unnecessary militarisation of these two countries in spite of millions of their people living below the poverty line suits the western arms dealers and they will never allow resolution of this highly commercialised conflict. In view of this, the recent American declarations need to be taken with a pinch of salt. One is not sure whether these represent a sincere concern of the US administration for the people of the sub-continent in general and the Kashmiris in particular or these are the result of compulsions of an uncomfortable situation for American forces in Afghanistan? Many analysts have observed that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the apprehensions of Pak nukes falling in Islamist hands are the main motivating factors for the US to launch these new initiatives. Even if that is true, it may be the good fortune of the people of the sub-continent that the US interest is coinciding with their interests!

Assuming that the US is genuinely interested in building bridges to the Islamic world and wants peace to prevail in the sub-continent, their first and foremost task should be to douse the flames emanating from the “Tinder box” of Kashmir. The only way to do that is to make Indian authorities understand that the disproportionate use of force can never suppress the genuine aspirations of the people especially when these are aired through non-violent and peaceful means of expression. All shades of opinion in Kashmir have been pleading for the demilitarisation of civilian areas and the revocation of the arbitrary draconian powers conferred on them by the Indian state. There can be no way forward for the resolution of the issue unless conditions for a peaceful dialogue are created. Implementation of these basic requirements for creating a conducive atmosphere could be a litmus test for the US administration and would demonstrate that the new President is not only making speeches for image building but is honestly interested in bringing peace to this troubled part of the world. The simmering lava in the dormant volcano of Kashmir is alarming and there are no two opinions that the time is running out fast. Action is needed more than the soothing words!