Obama And Kashmir

So it’s probably safe to say that after the euphoria of their lobbying victory has died down, Indian officials will probably feel Holbrooke’s breath on their neck. Some Indian analysts are already predicting this. C. Raja Mohan writes in the Indian Express that “reworking the India-Pakistan relationship will be an inevitable and important component” of Holbrooke’s plans. “Whether India likes it or not, Washington will devote substantive diplomatic energies towards the subcontinent, and New Delhi will be drawn into this dynamic.” TIME

Kashmir, may have a chance after all!

Lee Hamilton, veteran Democrat leader and vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, on Kashmir:

“We certainly need to work with Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir problem. The United States can’t resolve that, but we can encourage the two parties to address it,” he said, adding that resolving the Kashmir conflict would require tough diplomacy.
Daily Times

Also read David Miliband’s article.

Obama: India ‘Messing’ With Kashmir

Obama seems determined to solve the Kashmir issue, his remark on India’s behavior with Kashmir was:

he also wondered why India wants to ‘keep on messing’ with the Kashmir issue which is a ‘potential tar pit diplomatically.’ Free Republic

He also considers solving the Kashmir issue ‘critical task’ for his administration.

Working with Pakistan and India to try to resolve the Kashmir “crisis in a serious way are critical tasks” for the next administration, he said.

And plans to devote serious diplomatic resources for Kashmir

Saying that Kashmir is now in an “interesting situation”, Obama is ready to explore the option for the U.S. “to devote serious diplomatic resources to get a special envoy in there, to figure out a plausible approach”. Yahoo

His plans on appointing Bill Clinton (who as the President of United States called Kashmir, the most beautiful prison in the world) as an envoy to Kashmir has made India all jittery, it will be seen how India responds to America’s renewed interest in Kashmir. It is pertinent to mention here that it was the Democrat Presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson, who was supposed to have been talking with Sheikh Abdullah for a possible independent Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah’s meeting with Adlai Stevenson was one of the reasons why Abdullah was arrested.

What is most interesting about his remarks is that he has not called the movement in Kashmir Islamic Terrorism, all efforts by India to portray Kashmir as an Islamic Jihad have failed to impress the most powerful man on earth; the presence of American-Indians in his team, which the Indian Media is celebrating as an achievement, has made no effect on his thoughts and planned efforts on Kashmir either.

It will be interesting to see how Pakistan will re-jump the Kashmir wagon now, having almost gotten rid of it!