(Map Of Kashmir: Image From Wikipedia)Pakistan's President Zardari U-Turn On Kashmir Terrorism
-- The Australian
-- The Australian
PAKISTAN President Asif Ali Zardari was at the centre of a political storm yesterday after turning decades-old policy over disputed Kashmir on its head and declaring its Islamic "freedom fighters" to be "terrorists".
The statement by Mr Zardari has sent shockwaves through Pakistan's political elite and is believed to be causing consternation among senior ranks in the 600,000-strong army, which maintains freedom for Indian-administered Kashmir as one of its most hallowed aims.
Indian authorities in Kashmir at the weekend imposed an indefinite curfew ahead of expected mass demonstrations demanding India's expulsion from the territory. In the past two months, Kashmir has seen some of the biggest pro-separatist demonstrations since the uprising against New Delhi's rule began in 1989. About 40 protesters were killed and more than 1000 injured.
The two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have fought three wars over Kashmir, a territory once described by former US president Bill Clinton as "the most dangerous place in the world" because of its potential to cause a nuclear conflagration. About 50,000 people are believed to have been killed in fighting in Kashmir
Indian authorities in Kashmir at the weekend imposed an indefinite curfew ahead of expected mass demonstrations demanding India's expulsion from the territory. In the past two months, Kashmir has seen some of the biggest pro-separatist demonstrations since the uprising against New Delhi's rule began in 1989. About 40 protesters were killed and more than 1000 injured.
The two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have fought three wars over Kashmir, a territory once described by former US president Bill Clinton as "the most dangerous place in the world" because of its potential to cause a nuclear conflagration. About 50,000 people are believed to have been killed in fighting in Kashmir since 1989.
India has welcomed Mr Zardari's tough stand on Kashmir.
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My Comment: If President Zardari survives the turmoil of Pakistan .... and is true to his word .... this will be a radical departure in Indian/Pakistan relations.
The two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have fought three wars over Kashmir, a territory once described by former US president Bill Clinton as "the most dangerous place in the world" because of its potential to cause a nuclear conflagration. About 50,000 people are believed to have been killed in fighting in Kashmir since 1989.
India has welcomed Mr Zardari's tough stand on Kashmir.
Read more ....
My Comment: If President Zardari survives the turmoil of Pakistan .... and is true to his word .... this will be a radical departure in Indian/Pakistan relations.