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US rejects Pakistan's demand of plebiscite in Kashmir

T V Parasuram in Washington

Rejecting Islamabad's persistent demand for a plebiscite in Kashmir in accordance with the UN resolution, the US on Friday said it favoured the settlement of the problem bilaterally between India and Pakistan in accordance with the Simla accord.

It also hoped the forthcoming assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir would lead to the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

"The US earlier did support the UN resolution calling for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. But in 1972, India and Pakistan reached an agreement that it would be a bilateral issue. We support India and Pakistan (for settling the issue bilaterally). We are working towards getting the two countries to the table," US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca said.

In a hearing at the House International Relations subcommittee, she expressed for the first time the US belief that the forthcoming election in Jammu and Kashmir could serve as a first step towards resolution of the issue. Rocca also stressed the importance of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf ending cross-border infiltration permanently.

She said in a prepared statement that the encouraging progress in South Asia toward prosperity and democracy is too often overshadowed by the spectre of war between India and Pakistan.

"We remain deeply concerned over the high levels of tension between India and Pakistan and in particular about the continued deployment of forces along their shared border and within Kashmir," she said.

A surge in violence could spark a military confrontation, with long lasting and devastating consequences for the entire region, Rocca said.

"The enemies of moderation in the region are aware of this fact and are trying to exploit it through high-profile terrorist attacks, such as that outside Jammu this past Saturday," she said.

Rocca said that as Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is slated to visit India and Pakistan later this month, has put it, war is 'just not an option for India and Pakistan'.

"The only way forward that offers a prospect of genuinely resolving their differences is the path of dialogue and confidence-building," she said.

The US, she said, is working to help the two sides find mutually acceptable de-escalation process.

"President Musharraf," she pointed out, "has pledged that infiltration into Kashmir from his country will end permanently. Pakistan needs to keep that pledge in order to begin a process of resolution of the immediate crisis and of its more fundamental differences with India."

Once tensions begin to subside, said Rocca, the process should be continued by New Delhi agreeing to resume talks with Islamabad on all issues, including Kashmir.

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu and Kashmir: The complete coverage

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