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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
India should not allow Kashmir to become a flash point, as it will open the doors for Western countries to intervene in the matter, Sir Shridath Ramphal, former secretary general of the Commonwealth, said.
In an interview with rediff.com, the Guyana-born leader commended the Indian government for following the "right policy" on Kashmir.
"I cannot comment deeply on this issue, as I was not there when the Indian government conducted the assembly election in Kashmir. But I can tell you the Indian government has been pursuing what I consider is the right policy on Kashmir," he said.
On the issue of cross-border terrorism, he said Pakistan is "encouraged" by some "vested interests" to indulge in such activities.
He said if Pakistan stopped supporting the "splinter groups of fundamentalists" operating in Kashmir then the [Kashmir] problem would not look as menacing and threatening as it does today.
"Pakistan is encouraging these fundamentalists in Kashmir. Pakistan, in fact, is encouraged in this. If Pakistan were to adopt a benign policy in Kashmir, the Kashmir problem would slowly erode," Sir Shridath, who served as Commonwealth secretary general from 1975 to 1990, added.
He said the current generation of Pakistani leaders realised they would not be able to survive without Kashmir. "Pakistani governments can survive without Kashmir only if democracy is allowed to take firm roots," he said.
Sir Shridath sounded confident about the younger generation of South Asian leaders solving the Kashmir issue. "Look at the moves that were beginning to emerge when Benazir Bhutto came to power in Pakistan and Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister of India. The two leaders were working together to put Kashmir behind the two countries. With people of their countries behind them they could have done that," he felt.
He was sure the issue would be resolved through democratic means. "The line of action that the Indian government has been taking up with great patience will ultimately prevail," he felt. "India must continue the approach it has taken up and get the situation under control in the right manner."
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