India must take the promised two steps to ease crisis with Pakistan over Kashmir

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addressed his nation this week, condemning the December 13 terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament. He banned two Kashmiri militant groups blamed by India for these attacks and confirmed that any Pakistani responsible for these attacks will be tried in Pakistan. He warned India that Pakistan will meet any aggression from its neighbour with full force, promising that it will never be used as a base for the export of terrorism. He also announced sweeping measures to regulate religious schools and stamp out religious extremism, violence and intolerance in Pakistan, and to solve the issue of Kashmir politically and diplomatically in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The Arab Press discussed this speech and its implications.

Dr. Shamlan Al-Issa, writing in Al Seyassah (Kuwait), says that Musharraf's speech expresses the disastrous situation of Muslims not only in Pakistan but also in the Arab and Islamic World. Musharraf mentioned in his speech that extremists have created a state inside the state and consider themselves protectors of Islam even as they spread the culture of hatred, death, hunger and terrorism in Pakistan. He added that religious schools had become a place for immature people and that Pakistan needs a war against hunger, poverty and fanaticism, while guaranteeing democracy and freedom of speech.

Musharraf, with his long experience, has realised all these facts that had resulted in deteriorating economic, social and safety conditions in Pakistan, with Islamic factions that trade in religion having torn the country apart and caused foreign investment to flee Pakistan, while its neighbour, India, is advancing economically, adds Al-Issa.

The Islamic schools in Pakistan that created the Taliban and the like have more than a million students who only study religion. Thus, its graduates could not compete in the labour market, says Al-Issa. Therefore, Musharraf has made the right step by controlling these schools and introducing other subjects besides religion into the curriculum such as science so that the country has graduates who can develop their country. Pakistan and many Arab countries don't just need religious schools and scholars like Taliban, but also experts in the field of computers as well as professionals that can help industrialise the nation, says Al-Issa.

Al-Issa gives the example of India, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia that have developed their economies and prospered as they acted earnestly to achieve that goal and were not involved in religious disputes that only benefit ambitious politicians who seek power. It is hoped that the Arab countries will learn a lesson from Pakistan, adds Al-Issa.

Along the same lines, Al Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), in its editorial comment, questions whether the acts of Musharraf were undertaken under American influence - in the backdrop of an Indian declaration of war and a general restructuring of the world after the September 11 attacks - to avoid any new crisis from international extremist groups.

Pakistan has passed from one coup d'etat to another and is sandwiched between friendly as well as hostile neighbours. For this reason, it needed to solve internal issues before undertaking social and economic reforms so that it can climb out of the mire of war and internal division. Hence, many factors could have forced Musharraf to take such actions, because Pakistan would have dangerous security problems without national unity, adds the editorial.

The composition of Pakistan's population, with its rivalry between ethnic, tribal and political factions, led to the belief that a military government guarantees security, stability, and protection from disunity. But the continuous change of military governments has created problems and, consequently, reforms should be undertaken, says Al Riyadh.

Although such reforms - especially those related to the religious schools - will lead to national confrontation and create strong opposition internally, Musharraf has taken the right step to save his country, taking into consideration the international situation and the attempts by the international community to target Pakistan by alleging that it harbours terrorism. It is, thus, a national duty to support Musharraf so as to avoid the splintering of Pakistan internally or involving it in lengthy wars, says Al Riyadh.

Indian reaction

India's cautious welcome of Musharraf's speech seems inadequate in the face of Pakistan's efforts to quell the crisis between the two countries, says Asharq Al-Awsat (based in UK) in its editorial comment.

Although India's assurance that it will take two steps for every step that Pakistan makes is a positive sign that stresses dialogue over confrontation, India's dissatisfaction with the Pakistani rejection of its demand that Pakistan hand over 20 people whom India accuses of terrorist attacks should not become the straw that breaks the peace between the two countries, adds Asharq Al-Awsat.

It is more practical, in light of the current grave international situation, to prioritise solving the conflict between the two countries rather than getting involved in any other details, which are minor details when compared with the possibility of this conflict turning into a nuclear confrontation, says Asharq Al-Awsat.

Thus, in this context, India's withdrawal of its demand to hand over the 20 people will be considered the two steps ahead that it has said it was ready to take in order to meet Pakistan halfway, in an attempt to arrive at a peaceful solution of the Kashmir problem, adds Asharq Al-Awsat.

On the other hand, Akhbar Al Arab (UAE) says in its editorial comment that Musharraf's speech condemning terrorism and extremism has refuted all the allegations of India, the U.S., the East and the West. In his speech, he has outlined Pakistan's stand with respect to Kashmir and the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their future on the basis of the UN resolutions.

Akhbar Al Arab further points to the efforts that Pakistan has made, under the international coalition against terrorism: it severed its ties with Taliban, closed its borders with Afghanistan, gave U.S. forces access to its air bases and aided the Afghan refugees, in spite of the fact that such acts resulted in it losing its strategic position in the Afghanistan scenario, as well as having to confront political and religious opposition internally.

Regardless of Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorism, India is trying to use the current international situation to solve the Kashmir problem despite the fact that Kashmir is a national issue for the Pakistanis who have a unified stand on the issue and will not accept giving it up or forsaking Kashmir, adds the editorial.

Asking Pakistan to do more than it has already done, Akhbar Al Arab adds, would mean that India is pressuring the Pakistani government to relinquish power, or creating a situation that would lead to a civil war in Pakistan that will destroy not only Pakistan but also other areas in the sub-continent.

This upsetting of the regional balance will not please those who engineered the changes in regional policies and governments.

Hence, if India wants to solve the Kashmiri cr