A.S Daulat bats for Indo-Pak reconciliation and says time is right
By: Muzamil Bhat CK
Srinagar
Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief, A S Daulat has said in an article that time is right for India and Pakistan to move forward and do the reconciliation and said that the ground realities will dictate the final solution to all the problems being faced by the two countries.
Writing in the tribune Dualat has said that Pakistan after the initial shocks has now ‘reconciled to Articles 370 and 35A being internal matters of India.’
He said in his write up, “Pakistan is working on a consensus for a settlement on the Line of Control, to which Manmohan Singh and General Pervez Musharraf had come close. Musharraf had always maintained that whatever was acceptable to Kashmir and Kashmiris would be acceptable to Pakistan”.
He further said, “It is not surprising, that Pakistan, which was undoubtedly shocked by the abrogation of Article 370, may now be reconciled to Articles 370 and 35A being internal matters of India.”
In the newspaper he has said, “Top Kashmiri leaders Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who have long been pleading for an Indo-Pakistan engagement, welcomed the ceasefire.”
He further argued that the coming two years will be for Pakistan and that the country must do whatever is possible as soon as possible, “The year 2021 is crucial for Pakistan. The Prime Minister’s position may be further strengthened if he obtains a majority in the senate this week. Next year, both Imran Khan and General Bajwa will have just a year left. It is best that whatever is possible is done now while the going is good. What we need is a practical solution, not necessarily, the perfect one.”
Meanwhile Kashmir Walla has quoted Dualat’s article as saying, “The current Pakistan team of Imran Khan, Bajwa and Moeed is also said to be functioning at its best. Imran has said more than once that if India were willing to take a step forward, Pakistan would be ready for two. Every message from across indicates that Pakistan is ready for peace. More ready than ever before. Whether or not Imran has the brains, as some of his detractors doubt, he certainly has the heart for peace.
If Moeed has been coy about backchannel proceedings, it is understandably due to mutual understanding and management of public opinion. Kashmir, no doubt, will remain the key to resolving outstanding issues.”
