Parliament’s resolve

Opening up of trade between the two Kashmirs has been covered well by all papers. Dawn (October 21) reports that “ The opening of the trade route has been a key demand of Kashmiri separatists. Separatists, however, say India still needs to acknowledge that Kashmir is disputed.” The News (October 23) says “ AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Khan flagged off three trucks carrying goods, including one with gift items onboard for occupied Poonch… The president said the trans-LoC trade will open new avenues for resolution of decades old Kashmir conflict. He further said the decision for launching bilateral trade between both sides of the LoC will also strengthen and promote the ongoing peace process ”.

An editorial in Dawn (October 23) states that trade could be one of the tools towards peace, but many other disputes still need to be looked at — “while it is not altogether clear when such a move would make ‘borders irrelevant’, the measure is certainly a step in the right direction. By itself trade promotes more than an exchange of goods; it creates business opportunities that play a crucial role in cementing existing links between the countries in question. However, trade by itself will not expedite even a partial solution on Kashmir”.

The American link

Dawn (October 24) reports “New ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha will arrive in Washington this weekend for meetings with CIA’s director Michael V. Hayden.” The paper quoted Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick Moon saying: “Pakistan needs to and is attacking insurgents in its northern areas”.

The News (October 24) also reports that “a small contingent of US military instructors have begun a training program scheme aimed at turning Pakistan’s Frontier Corps into an effective counter-insurgency force. The Nation (October 24) makes an interesting point: “The politically sensitive program had been stalled for months by negotiations between the US and Pakistani military”.

Masooda Bano in an opinion piece in The News (October 24) says: “ The PPP government is even more desperate to please the United States than its predecessor.” Remarking on the bombings on Pakistani soil, the article says, “These deaths only mobilise more aggrieved youth willing to join the ranks of the Taliban; they don’t reduce them. Else, the cluster bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq and the military operations in the tribal belt ongoing since 2004 should have wiped out all militancy by now.”