Mehbooba’s message

‘Chief Minister’ of IOK has sent an important message to the official managers of foreign policy in India and Pakistan

The ‘Chief Minister’ of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), Mehbooba Mufti, has sent an important message to the official managers of foreign policy in India and Pakistan suggesting the two to try to resolve their bilateral dispute, for a change, using geo-economics rather than geo-politics. She has rightly called for creating a trade corridor between South Asia and Central Asia involving both IOK and Azad Kashmir as its “nucleus”.

Those small pockets of vested interest in the two countries that benefit politically and financially from the ‘No war, no peace’ state of affairs between Pakistan and India would do well to pay attention to what Ms Mufti is saying: such a corridor between the two emerging economic ‘hotspots’ would help forge a new regional cooperation.

Indeed, the subcontinent was historically linked to Central Asia through Kashmir and taking advantage of its geographical location, IOK could become a nucleus towards forging a new economic alliance in the region. This will create favourable conditions for IOK to play its natural role of connecting the two zones. Such an arrangement would surely supplement the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through the IOK.

The current reopening of traditional trans-IOK and trans-Azad Kashmir routes transforms geo-economic and geo-political scenarios at the regional and global levels. Not only the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot Roads that have already been opened for movement of people and goods, all the traditional road links including Suchetgarh-Sialkot road, Kargil-Skardu road, Bandipora-Gurez-Gilgit road and Nowshera-Mirpur road can be and should be opened for free movement of people and goods in the region.

Meanwhile, those who thrive politically and financially from the continuing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan would do well to understand Pakistan’s geostrategic logic behind its efforts to launch projects concerning road and rail link for boosting trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian states. Official documents show that a feasibility study will be conducted on the link road between Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan has also proposed a new rail link from Helmand city-Bahramcha (Afghanistan) to Gwadar via Yakmuch and Panjgur which will provide the shortest economic rail connectivity for regional trade and transit between the two countries and the region. Afghanistan has offered to conduct the feasibility study of this project. Pakistan Railways plans to connect Gwadar with the Afghan railway via Basima, Quetta and Chaman in line with the Central Asian Regional Economic Corridor and regional connectivity framework. The new rail line from Gwadar to Quetta has also been included in the CPEC.

Of course, many in Pakistan would be too averse to let AJ&K join hands with the IOK at this juncture that is before India hands over IOK to us on a platter. But it has been a wait of 70 long years. We fought three and a half full- fledged wars with India for achieving this objective, but failed. Then the so-called non-state actors were pressed into service. This move only brought a bad name to Pakistan and served also to weaken our Kashmir case in the world capitals.

So, let pragmatism as well as geo-economics dictate our Kashmir policy from now onwards and not let it remain a hostage to the willingness or otherwise of India giving up its bloody-hold on IOK. Similarly, it is only logical for Pakistan to look at Afghanistan from the geo-economic perspective now that CPEC has already been launched. But no headway can be made on this front until and unless we have agreed to let Afghanistan and India trade with each other overland through Pakistan. Perhaps India and Afghanistan both would be willing to concede to Pakistan the price that it would like to quote for the trade-off along with full assurance from the two that they would respect for all times to come Pakistan’s political and geographical sovereignty.

And Kashmir? Well, if the Indians could not solve their Kashmir problem even after having occupied the state for 70 long years, let all those chauvinistic Pakistanis who are dying to go to war with India to liberate Kashmir from its strangle-hold be assured that what did not happen in such a long time is not going to happen with IOK and AJ&K joining hands to become a mutually profitable trade route between South and Central Asia.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2017.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.