A MONUMENT OF HOPE  AGRA,INDIA.

FURTHER READING:
Fall at Agra
Filed on July 17th 2001.

The Pakistan-India Summit in Agra,India has attracted much hype since its the first time in the last 2 years that the two sides have come this close to actually talking out their differences. However many analysts fear that this might yet be another opportunity lost by the two sides in resolving their outstanding issues especially Kashmir since President Musharraf of Pakistan is devoid of the mandate he needs to resolve Kashmir dispute while PM Vajpayee of India lacks the courage to face his own party's hard line on Kashmir. For the summit to be successful in terms of resolutions..both men will have to play roles quite opposite to whats generally expected of them...a hardline Hindu Nationalist and an Army General whose brain child was the Kargil war.

We now examine the two sides more closely and weigh their chances of achieveing a breakthrough.

President Pervaiz Musharraf

People didnt know him before he became the COAS in 98. He was made the chief after superseeding his senior generals as Nawaz Sharif thought of him as a moderate rather liberal Officer. That was his first mistake, as did ZA Bhutto, mistook General Zia ulHaq for a benign creature. Where Zia hanged Zulfiqar, Musharraf was kind enough to let go of Nawaz..but only after him paying an enormous price for his head. While Nawaz Sharif welcomed Vajpayee in Lahore on his debut bus trip from Delhi in 99, Musharraf was launching his own war in Kargil..with both the PMs unaware of the situation up there. When the news finally flared Newdelhi.. Vajpayee was furious over Nawaz was even unaware of it himself and had it out on Musharraf. Thats when it all started..and in due time Musharraf made his move, although provoked by Nawaz himself who dismissed Musharraf in the first place.

Today President, CE, COAS, CJSC, CSCP General Pervaiz Musharraf is the strongest man in the entire history of Pakistan yet he goes there without the people's mandate, perhaps trying to make a name for himself. Not just that.. he also has no Idea what he would propose there in Agra when he meets Vajpayee..! Thus without any mandate and propositions Musharraf heads for his homeland (he was born in Delhi) for a summit which would be no more than a photo opportunity besides the Taj Mahal, amust for every family album!

Musharraf however has said he is going with an 'Open Mind' and shall 'Talk about anything and everything about Kashmir Solution'.

PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Leader of the hardline Hindu Nationalist Party BJP, Vajpayee came to power on the promise of uplifting the Hindu nation to the rank of a regional Superpower, but his ambitious plans have long been toiled with by the shaky coalition of a dozen parties he heads with constant pressure from Kashmir and other breakaway provinces of india like Nagaland and Assam. With all these domestic problems, Vajpayee in search of Glory and to make history made his debut bus ride to Lahore to meet with then PM Nawaz Sharif to start a US-backed Dialogue between the two nuclear nations. These ambitions of his were again met with a fateful failure when the flames raged on Kargil heights. Vajpayee totally disappointed and frustrated gave orders for an allout war against Pakistan backed insurgents in Kargil who finally withdrew on Bill Clinton's pressure on Nawaz Sharif. Kargil was a major failure for Vajpayee and the Indian Army and an icon of its poor intelligence. It was also a lesson for Vajpayee that Kashmir can never be won by war!

Vajpayee government held a number of talks with the Huriyet and other Kashmiri factions in order to try to resolve the ongoing dispute which ended in vain since the Huriyet is largely backed by Pakistan. The failure to resolve what India likes to call its 'domestic issue' has brought Vajpayee to the Agra Summit with a hope that his dreams of making history by taking back the 'Azad Kashmir' from Pakistan and 'Withdrawl of all Pakistan Backed Terrorists from Indian Held Kashmir' would come true!

OUTCOME:

There is no possible outcome of this Summit in terms of Resolutions on Kashmir. Both sides could agree on 'More Talks' and to 'Keep on Talking'.

Filed on 14th July 2001.