To: Indians and Pakistanis The "Neelam Plan" to Resolve
Kashmir: Food for thought for Indians & Pakistanis By Arundhati Roy
YOU HAVE started hearing this constant nag of something called the
Chenab plan to solve the Kashmir imbroglio. In its essence, it is a plan
being sponsored by Islamist extremists from Pakistan and some of their
friends in the US. This generous 'Pakistan keeps whatever it has, but
let's negotiate over what India keeps' plan aims to give all of the
Indian Kashmir valley independence, while letting Pakistan keep all the
territories it now illegally and forcefully occupies. In other words,
this is the same kind of odious thinking that has led to the ethnic
cleansing of all minorities from Pakistan -- Kashmiri Muslims cannot live
with the infidels, hence they have to cleanse their territory and must make
it a different country. You might prefer the more politically correct
rendition -- division along ethnic lines -- but make no mistake about its
intent. Unfortunately, it would seem this jihadi Islamist plan has
gathered support within some US circles. Saleem Shehzad seems to confirm
this report in Asia Times. 'Sources in the Foreign Office familiar with
the agenda say that key decisions likely to be agreed on by Musharraf and
Bush at Camp David include the following: A clear road map for resolution
of the Kashmir conflict in which the "Chanab" formula, which
envisages the division of Kashmir along religious lines, is likely to be
adopted. Thus, the Muslim-majority areas would be allowed to join Pakistan,
while the areas where Hindus and Buddhists are in the majority would remain
with India.' The reason for such an obnoxious plan seeing the light of
day? Simple. India has never bothered to propose anything better.
Pakistan, you see, has consistently defined the Kashmir imbroglio over the
last 57 years, they have defined the problem, they have defined the issues,
they have taken a lead in actions and they now are defining the solution.
Starting with canards like 800,000 Indian soldiers deployed in Kashmir,
to the rancid 'indigenous freedom fighters' -- they have always defined
the issues; not us. The Chenab formula is just another step in this
direction. While we Indians have excelled at criticizing anything and
everything, and even made grandiose empty statements like 'let the talks
begin with PoK' or 'let's take over Lahore,' we've never bothered to
propose any rational plan that would work in India's interests. Where
are the superior ideas, the better solutions and focused strategic actions?
They don't exist -- only the vacuous flatulence of the extreme right
and whimpering connivance of the anarchists accentuate this void. So,
here's a potential starting point -- I'll call it the Neelam plan, as
suggested by some friends at Bharat-Rakshak. Background First, what
is the Neelam valley? It is a 144 km long bow-shaped deeply forested region
that makes up much of what Pakistanis call Azad Kashmir. The Neelam River
enters Pakistan from India in the Gurais sector of the Line of Control, and
then runs west till it meets the Jhelum north of Muzzafarabad. The
mighty Neelam River cuts a breathtakingly beautiful furrow in the land --
the Neelam valley; the valley of death and the valley of hatred. This
valley and the region around it are infested with every kind of terrorist
vermin that Pakistanis have been able to rustle up, with the buying power
of their extortion, drug-running and charity money. So, when you think
Neelam valley, think about 4-year-old Suraj from Nadimarg, who was shot and
killed in his mother's arms; think of Sharifa Bi of Mandi, who was first
set on fire and subsequently had these flames extinguished, forcing her to
die in slow agonizing pain. If there's ever a terrorist brutality in
Kashmir, you can bet that the perpetrators were trained, launched or passed
through this valley of death. Second, some description of what's
happening in the region called Northern Areas. Simply put, what we call
PoK, they call 'Azad Kashmir' and Northern Areas. The Northern Areas
consist of the Gilgit and Baltistan districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The
natives of Gilgit Baltistan are the most oppressed people in the entire
Indian sub-continent. They have no economic development, have been occupied
by Pakistani Punjabis who ill-treat them, no constitution and few, if any
human rights. Unlike the people of J&K, who we have treated with
special privileges like Article 370, extreme government charity and now
even reservations in colleges, the people of Gilgit and Baltistan are truly
under brutal occupation. In fact, our friendly neighborhood dictator
Musharraf, first rose to fame in 1988 by massacring people in this region
to put down a revolt, with the able help of a then unknown fanatic -- Osama
Bin Laden. But, that is another story. Why don't we know all this
about Gilgit/Baltistan? Because depending upon who is in power, our foreign
ministry has either been hugging the terrorists or making plans to capture
Lahore. The Plan While the Chenab plan is based on the bigoted
principles of 'division along ethnic lines,' the Neelam plan is focused
on clamping down on terrorism and prevention of religious clashes in India.
Clearly, these principles only apply to India, since terrorism is revered
as freedom-fighting in Pakistan and other religions have mysteriously
disappeared (from 20% to about 3% in 5 decades) from the land of the pure.
Unlike the Chenab plan, which does nobody any good apart from a few
hallucinating generals at GHQ at Rawalpindi, the Neelam plan actually has a
sound basis, namely: Artificial countries based on religion alone are a
hassle -- Britain has already tried that with the creation of Pakistan --
been there, done that; doesn't quite work. Any plan that does not
explicitly take into account US strategic interests in the area will become
road-kill -- so ensure easy US access to the Chinese border. Water is the
biggest strategic issue in the subcontinent -- talk about it, don't hide
it, avoid the next war. Terrorism and not the over-hyped repression of
the people of Kashmir will cause the next nuclear war -- so, address it.
There are 5 basic principles and 5 associated actions that constitute the
Neelam plan: First, the absorption of integrated areas. India has
demonstrated through its fair elections of last year, the enormous dollars
spent in economic development ($5 billion) in Kashmir and the special
attempts at integration such as reservation in out-of-state colleges, that
J&K is well on its way to full-fledged integration with India. For
better results, arcane constitutional artifacts, such as Article 370 need
to be done away with. Improved industrial investment will follow.
Pakistan has never managed to integrate any part of its country, let
alone PoK. A vague case may be made that what they call 'Azad' Kashmir
has been integrated as an armed camp, but this should be subject to LoC
alterations, as described below. Second, freedom for the oppressed. The
brutally oppressed people of Gilgit and Baltistan have faced complete
abrogation of their constitutional and human rights, with hardly any
economic development for the last 55 years. Their lands have seen murderous
occupation and their standard of living makes the sub-Saharan Africans feel
mighty privileged. According to the Neelam plan, the Northern areas
(Gilgit and Baltistan) will become a free country and Pakistani garrisons
currently encamped there, will have to depart. Naturally, the Pakistani
Punjabis currently usurping people's rights in this land, will immediately
become illegal aliens and over a period of time, will have to obtain
appropriate work visas to remain there. Both India and Pakistan need to
officially obtain transit rights through this land. This will bring about a
demilitarization of the Deosai Plain and thus effect a natural
stabilization in places like Siachen, Kargil and Drass. From the
perspective of the main interlocutor, the US, direct access to the Deosai
plains could be a strategic coup in its oncoming superpower battles with
China. There possibly is no better strategic location for US forces in the
northern regions of South Asia -- certainly, far better than being located
in the Kashmir valley. All this comes with the added benefit of not having
to upset relations with a potential strategic partner -- India. Third,
clamping down on terrorism. The only terrorism of consequence in South and
Central Asia seems to originate from Pakistan. There are two problems here
-- first, the Neelam valley has become the launching pad and terrorism
training grounds; second, Pakistan views terrorism as a legitimate
instrument of State policy. For the first problem, the solution is
quite clear -- reduce drastically, the scope of the Neelam valley to act as
the biggest terrorist training camp in the world. This is achieved by
moving the LoC into the Neelam valley and better international mediation.
The specific steps are: 1. Move the LoC north of Gurais till it covers
the all infiltration routes emerging from the Burzil Pass. 2. Move the
LoC in the Kupwara area to enclose the Neelam valley segment north of
Muzaffarabad. 3. Move the Haji Pir Pass within India, since it is the
entrance point for most terrorists in J&K. 4. Move the LoC South of
Poonch closer to New Mirpur, perhaps along the Poonch river, this will
drastically reduce terrorist breeding grounds. 5. Have UN troops guard
the rest of 'Azad Kashmir.' 6. The independence of Gilgit Baltistan to
the north will bring about a closure of terrorist training and coordination
camps in Gilgit, Astore, Skardu and the Deosai Plains area. The second
issue of Pakistan using terrorism as State policy is a little more
difficult. Here, international lenders in return for monetary aid must ask
for intrusive UN monitoring within Pakistan to ensure that the ISI and
other groups do not engage in terrorism. Connecting monetary aid
directly to stopping Pakistani terrorism is the only way to ensure that
there isn't a terrorism-induced nuclear war in the sub-continent. The IMF
has always used this policy to open up markets for the West; so why not use
a similar approach to contain the scourge of jihadi terrorism in the
country that has been referred to as the 'epicenter of terrorism'?
Fourth, equitable distribution of water. The Indus Water Treaty is
inherently inequitable -- it does not take into consideration that India's
population is about 8 times that of Pakistan and Pakistan has eliminated or
pushed into India almost all of its ethnic minorities since independence.
This treaty must be declared invalid and must be renegotiated on the basis
of the population balance on either side of the border. An equitable
distribution would imply that India gets around 40% of the waters currently
earmarked for Pakistan. Pakistan has so far depended upon India's
inability to use its water resources aggressively and as a consequence not
developed its water resource infrastructures adequately. Without such
re-negotiation, Pakistan may not realize the criticality of doing so on its
own -- leading to disaster for Pakistan within this decade. If this
issue is not solved, the Indus Water Treaty, and not Kashmir, will lead to
the next nuclear war -- water has already become the most precious resource
in India. Fifth, no one-sided guns to anybody's head. The only hope
for the Pakistani economy are transit fees from oil pipelines. These
pipelines will remain pipe dreams unless India agrees to be the key
destination market for this oil. One of the main reasons for US interest in
peace in Kashmir is related to the big dollars that would roll into the
pockets into US oil giants if these pipelines do not flow through Iran.
Unfortunately if these pipelines become reality, Pakistan just obtains
a large economic gun to put to India's head. To be fair, any gas pipelines
should only be considered if at the same time, India is allowed to build up
the infrastructure required to completely stop water to Pakistan. In other
words, if Pakistan has the ability to shut off energy supply to India, then
India must have the ability to shut off water supply to Pakistan. No
one-way weapons, please. Plan Summary: 1. Complete and equal
integration of J&K into India. 2. Freedom for Northern Areas and
removal of all Pakistani garrisons. 3. No international charity for
terrorists and permanent clamp down on the valley of death and hatred --
the Neelam valley a. Incorporate Haji Pir into India; b. Move the LoC
from Gurais to Tithwal northwards until it covers the Neelam valley all the
way up to Muzaffarabad c. Move Naushara LoC to New Mirpur; d. UN
monitoring in 'Azad Kashmir'; 4. Renegotiate the Indus Water Treaty
according to population distributions. 5. No pipelines through Pakistan
without equal water shut off capabilities for India. Where do we go
from here? Division along ethnic lines is pure bigotry. Even if such a
strategy makes some twisted short-term strategic sense for the superpowers
of the day, in time such a division will lead to the same kind of problems
that Palestine and Pakistan cause today. Thousands and hundreds of
thousands will die -- we must therefore learn from the historical mistakes
of the British. Why repeat the greatest mistakes of the last century?
Remember, the problem is not Kashmir, it is and has always been
terrorism -- just take a look at the hordes of Pakistan-based Talibanis
beginning to kill Germans, Afghans and Americans in Afghanistan at regular
intervals. Nobody believes that the solution to this problem is to give
back Afghanistan to the Taliban. Thus, no problem in Kashmir will be solved
by rewarding the jihadi terrorists or the Islamist fanatics. Clamping down
on terrorism and preventing it permanently, has to be the basis for any
peace in the Indian continent. This is the goal of the Neelam plan and
should be the basis of any settlement that is reached. As I finish this
article, there are reports on India being pushed towards the Chenab plan.
The main protagonists seem to be Pakistani-Americans with only Pakistani
strategic interests at heart. For the sake of India and the rest of the
world, I hope that the editors of Kashmir Telegraph are wrong when they
say: 'Kashmir Telegraph has reasons to believe -- beyond any shadow of
doubt -- that United States is 'arm-twisting' Pakistan -- more
specifically, India, in accepting the 'Chenab Plan.' A 'sinister plot',
which if America has its way, brings about the division of the Indian state
of Jammu & Kashmir on religious lines -- with Muslim-majority areas
accorded a quasi-sovereign status. BJP -- the ruling party -- it seems, has
all along been clandestinely involved in this sinister plot, which
undermines the basis principle -- rejection of the two-nation theory -- on
the basis of which India was founded. It is in this context that one must
examine the remarks of General Jay Garner, setting December 2004 as the
American deadline for resolving the Kashmir issue.' In the past, India
has happily given away precious water of the Indus, the Coco islands, the
Tibetan buffer, control of the Haji Pir pass, 90,000 Pakistani PoWs and
other strategic advantages without any payback at all. This time, the hope
is that our leaders will not give away strategic strangleholds, for minor
personal or political gains. The Neelam plan represents the beginnings
of a proposal that represents Indian interests as opposed to placing India
in a position of constantly fighting off Pakistani expeditions. Let us at
least start here. Supported By Ansar Burney Welfare Trust
International 6 Hassan Manzil, Arambagh Road, Karachi. Pakistan
Phone: + 92 21 2623382, 2623383 FAX: + 92 21 2623384 Mobile: + 92 300
8243459 Email: ansarb@cyber.net.pk Harsh Kapoor Indian Internet
activist aiindex@mnet.fr Arundhati Roy Writer 2A Kautilya Marg
New Delhi 110021 RANA AFTAB LOTUS SOCIAL WELFARE TRUST
INTERNATIONAL B-11/374 Indus Mehran Houseing Society Malir Karachi
No.37 Postal Code 75080 Pakistan Phone No 009221-4503493 Fax No
009221-4503493 EMAIL: lotustrust@yahoo.com Awatar Singh Sekhon
(Machaki), Ph D, FIBA, RM (CCM) Associate Professor (Retired), Medical
Microbiology and Immunology Director (Former), National Centre for Human
Mycotic Diseases CANADA assekhon@shaw.ca Rohit Nandan Secretary
Kashir Forum rohitnandan@rediffmail.com 91-522-209471, 91-522-204426
B-7, Butler Palace Lucknow

[ Reply to this ]

• Arundhati Roy's Neelam Plan for Kashmir Petition - Shiv Ram, Fri Oct 3 12:51:21 2003
• RE: Arundhati Roy's Neelam Plan for Kashmir Petition - Rohit Nandan, Thu May 27 03:11:19 2004
• RE: Arundhati Roy's Neelam Plan for Kashmir Petition - Amala Singh, Sat Oct 18 15:53:50 2003
• RE: RE: Arundhati Roy's Neelam Plan for Kashmir Petition - Vidushi, Thu Jul 14 14:21:06 2005
• RE: RE: Arundhati Roy's Neelam Plan for Kashmir Petition - Nagesh, Thu Oct 23 17:37:28 2003