Should the Line of Control be converted into an International Border in Kashmir?

Pratyush Manoj Writes: There was a recent debate among the higher ups in Delhi on whether to convert the LoC at Kashmir into an IB. The discussion is still on whether this is a wise decision or not.

Pratyush Manoj Writes: There was a recent debate among the higher ups in Delhi on whether to convert the LoC at Kashmir into an IB. The discussion is still on whether this is a wise decision or not.

India has been caught up in this dilemma for a long time. This idea was first raised during the Shimla conference between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. This again came to the limelight during the Kargil conflict. But a solution to this was not found. Even after the recent debate, the government has not arrived at a decision. This could be because the experts themselves are of two opinions.

The first opinion is that, if in fact the LoC becomes an IB, India will have to give up its claim on PoK. Constitutionally, J&K is recognised as a whole including the area occupied by Pakistan and the Northern areas. With the coming of the IB, PoK will never be a part of India; hence we will have to give it up officially.

The second opinion is that, if the LoC becomes an IB, it will put an end to the problem of ‘cross-border insurgency’ and will also effectively curb militancy within Kashmir.  This will also become a milestone in the relationship between India and Pakistan, where both the nations can finally move on from these border issues and maintain a healthy friendship.

If we think of it, the second opinion that is stated here actually makes more sense. And if we look at prospectively:

•  Getting back PoK is a very distant dream, and hanging on that hope is not a viable option.
• Even if we get the land back, what are we really going to with it? Are we really missing out on something if we don’t get it back? Do we really need that land back? After all, it is just infested with training grounds for terrorists before they are sent to India.
• Sealing of the borders can lead to less deployment of troops. A well built border is easier to protect and patrolling will become much easier.

It is true that it will be hard for the government to apply such solutions because the aspect of ethnic affinity remains at large. As a result of the partition, there are a large number of people within India who had to move from Pakistan to India but still have an emotional attachment to their birthplace or where they grew up.

But with the end of that specific generation, such feelings ought to go away. I myself representing the ‘new generation’ of Indians personally have no ties or any emotional attachment to Pakistan or PoK and wouldn’t have any problem with the conversion of the Loc into an IB. After all, it is the people of India who give the final consent to the steps taken by the Government, owing to its democracy.

Given that the conversion of LoC will benefit India in a lot of ways, there will be consequences that we will have to face and issues that will have to be kept in mind.

• India will have to give up claims of PoK as discussed above.
• The views people of Gilgit-Baltistan have to be kept in mind. Being a majority of Shia population as compared to the majority of Sunni population in the rest of Pakistan, the people of GB have been left neglected and are not interested in remaining in Pakistan.
• The 100kms border with Afghanistan will be lost which could be our window to the Central Asian Republic countries. This will also affect our trade with those countries.

But the question remains, ‘What and when will the government take any decision in resolving its border issues with Pakistan?’