NEW DELHI: The presence of international observers during the elections in Jammu and Kashmir would help participation by those who are reluctant and would add to India’s credibility as a sovereign, self-confident state, a team of European ambassadors observed after recently visiting the border state.
This information was given to the Lok Sabha by the Minister for External Affairs, R.L. Bhatia, in a written reply.
Bhatia said that a team of six ambassadors from France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Belgium and the European ‘commission felt that there seemed to be less hostility between the Opposition groups and the security forces as ‘compared to 1994, and greater human rights consciousness was evident amongst security forces.
The team, which visited Kashmir from April 27 10 May 1 this year, observed that there was increased normalcy in the Valley vis-a-vis the situation prevailing in 1994, the minister si id added that Jammu and Kashmir was open for visits by foreigners and resident diplomats as part of the policy of complete transparency.
The European ambassadors had remarked that the groups fighting each other were probably creating more human rights violations than the security forces, Even the US Ambassador, Frank Wisner, has acknowledged the change in the mood of the people, following a visit to Kashmir in June, and expressed the US Government’s support to elections in the state, not as an objective in itself but as a means 10 involve the people in decision making, Bhatia said.
Expressing US opposition to the ‘export of violence from across the border, Wisner had said that this point was made clear to Pakistan, the minister said.
The US diplomat also clarified that the US was neither a mediator nor it had any formula for resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue, while endorsing that the Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan offered the best way to resolve the issue.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 25, 1995
