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P Jayaram in New Delhi
India on Tuesday hit out at a top United Nations official who called Jammu and Kashmir a "tormented country", and hinted that New Delhi may demand his immediate recall.
Officials in the external affairs ministry dismissed the surprise remarks made on Monday by Austrian Major General Hermann Loidolt, who heads a UN body that oversees the Kashmir border, as uncalled for.
"India has never indulged in political games or diversionary measures," an official told Indo-Asian News Service. "Neither do we seek any (judgement) on the issue of J&K from third parties."
Loidolt heads the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.
The UNMOGIP was deployed on both sides of Kashmir in January 1949 following the first of the wars between the two countries.
It maintains a low-key presence in Kashmir, which makes Monday's remarks all the more surprising.
"All of us are aware of the situation in Kashmir and the games both India and Pakistan are playing," he said.
The Indian official, who did not wish to be identified, accused the general of playing "political games" in J&K and said India may demand his recall.
"It is certainly objectionable," he said.
Indian foreign policy experts were equally livid.
"If what is reported is true, then India should petition the UN Secretariat for his immediate recall," G Parthasarathy, former high commissioner to Pakistan, said.
The Indian officials asserted that UNMOGIP's functions were to observe and report, investigate complaints of ceasefire violations and submit its finding to both India and Pakistan as well as to the UN secretary general and not to sit in "political judgement".
Some political analysts see a larger game plan.
"He could not have done this on his own. There must have been a directive from his superiors in New York," Irshad Dar, a political commentator, said.
He felt the move had "direct or indirect backing of the U.S."
Analysts claim that the comments were an attempt by the US to "redeem its position in the Muslim world" following widespread condemnation over its military strikes on Afghanistan.
However, Kashmiri separatists are delighted over the statement.
People's Conference chairman Abdul Ghani Lone said that the statement was a "reflection of the ground realities, and we are happy that the UN has stirred itself into activity after having remained a passive onlooker for so long".
He agreed with Loidolt that India and Pakistan "were playing games with Kashmiris."
What delighted him and his colleagues in the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, where Lone is a member of the executive council, is the way US intervention has been spoken of in the context of Kashmir.
"When the two sides are playing games, why shouldn't a third party intervene?" he asked.
Headquartered in Rawalpindi during November-April and in Srinagar during May-October, UNMOGIP consists of 45 military observers, backed by 24 international civilian personnel and 42 local staff.
The countries contributing military personnel to UNMOGIP are: Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and Uruguay.
Pakistan has continued to lodge complaints with UNMOGIP about ceasefire violations. But India has lodged no complaint since January 1972, a month after the third war between India and Pakistan ended.
India has also restricted the activities of the UN observers in J&K but continued to provide accommodation, transport and other facilities to UNMOGIP.
Given the disagreement between India and Pakistan about UNMOGIP's mandate and functions, the UN secretary general has said that it will cease to exist only by a decision of the Security Council.
Indo-Asian News Service
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