NEW DELHI: Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
told India here on Friday to not confuse an ongoing anti-Delhi uprising
in the Kashmir Valley with any activities of the militant Islamic State
group.
“It may be dangerous to paint the current
uprising of the Kashmiri people as inspired by ‘Islamist terrorism’,” Mr
Kasuri said during a discussion on India-Pakistan ties, his second in
two days in Delhi.
Mr Kasuri said that statements of
certain extremist elements were prominently displayed and IS flags were
also shown as being waved during demonstrations in Kashmir. “It is clear
from the reports in the Indian media, that, overwhelmingly it is the
Pakistani flags that are waved, and, there are very few Daesh [the
Arabic acronym for IS] flags in such public demonstrations.
“If
Kashmir issue is not dealt with politically, matters may actually get
out of hand. Let us hope that the day never arises when Pakistani flags
are replaced by Daesh flags. If, unfortunately, it does happen, it will
have been a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he said.
Mr
Kasuri was joined at the discussion, sponsored by the Ananta Aspen
Centre, by former Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyer who chaired the
meeting.
His presence was significant since the
discussion was taking place a day after Mr Aiyer was expelled from the
Congress party for allegedly calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a vile
man.
Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Satinder Lambah also took part in the discussion.
Mr
Kasuri said that despite strained ties between the two countries, he
was pleased to see a large support for the resumption of talks between
India and Pakistan.
“The current situation is so bad and
the atmosphere so vitiated in South Asia that it has effectively put an
end to regional cooperation, where even a meeting of the heads of Saarc
[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] countries could not
be held,” Mr Kasuri regretted.
He said it was futile
and counterproductive for India to believe that it could isolate
Pakistan or mount pressure through a third country to surrender its
interests.
“Since neither side can win a war, peace is
the only way forward. For that an early resumption of dialogue should be
our top priority.”