His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s statement on 5 August 2001, at the South Asia Peace Conference organized by Bhartiya Rachnatmak Samaj in Chennai, has invited unnecessary criticism. He had spoken after Mirwaiz Farooq of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) made a forceful plea for taking the
Kashmir
cause directly to the people of
India
. A day earlier, fifteen Hindus had been killed by militants in Doda and the massacre was on every body’s mind. It was against this backdrop that His Holiness expressed his faith in the concept of a middle path for conflict resolution. He explained that he had deliberately moderated his stand and proposed that the Chinese grant ‘self-rule’ to the Tibetans within the sovereignty of
Peoples
Republic
of
China
. He made it clear that the
Tibet
and
Kashmir
issues were very different. However, since
Kashmir
is important, though not directly involved, he could offer his views. He suggested that his “middle way of approach to the Tibetan issue is an example of [a] suitable method for solving such complicated issues including
Kashmir
”.
The present dispute over the status of
Tibet
arose in 1949 when the armies of the newly created
Peoples
Republic
of
China
crossed into
Tibet
. The Dalai Lama, Head of State and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, sought exile in
India
and constituted
Tibet
’s Government in Exile at Dharmshala. In the course of over 2000 years of known history of
Tibet
, its independent existence was never contested. Tibetans have, over the years, developed a distinct culture, language, religion, system of law and, most important, own Government and form of administration. The International Commission of Jurists’ Legal Inquiry Committee on
Tibet
has stated, “
Tibet
has existed as a separate state throughout its history”. The Dalai Lama voluntarily surrendered
Tibet
’s defence and foreign policy matters, but demanded complete autonomy from the
Peoples
Republic
of
China
in his famous Strasbourg Declaration of 1988. This is perceived as a middle path, and an honest attempt by his Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the
Tibet
issue.
India
and
Pakistan
, during their half-century-old dispute over
Kashmir
, have locked themselves into their oft-repeated rigid positions. Whenever talks resume, with great expectations and efforts, the negotiators commit themselves afresh to previously stated positions and leaders return victorious to earn credos for their nationalism. This approach rules out any possibility of resolution of the issue; in fact, the chances of resolution become bleaker as hard-line attitudes get entrenched.
What His Holiness stated should be seen in its proper perspective – as an honest opinion by a world leader to resolve a problem that is costing so many lives each day and blocking the economic progress of more than billion people of
South Asia
; this was the theme of the discussions held at Chennai. Middle path involves moving forward by both parties from their officially stated positions.
India
and
Pakistan
should discuss multiple options and raise the level of discussions for the larger benefit of humanity, peace and security in the region. The loss or gain of some territory should not be equated with victory or defeat. The people of
India
, including
Kashmir
, and
Pakistan
are tired of daily killings and bomb blasts and would like to progress and live a decent human life like human beings. A middle path solution is possible if both countries rise above the rhetoric of ‘one point agenda of
Kashmir
’ and ‘cross border terrorism’.
At the Chennai seminar, there were more than 100 people from all the provinces of
Pakistan
. There was a 500 strong contingent from
Jammu and Kashmir
, mainly from the remote villages of Doda. There were people from almost all other states of
India
representing all religions; their total number could be more than 5000. It was clear that the people of both India and Pakistan have confidence in their statesmen who, they hope, have a larger vision to move ‘miles’ forward for the benefit of people; unfortunately, there are people with rigid mindsets in the government and bureaucracy who make it tough with many obstacles. People from remote regions of
Baluchistan, North West
Frontier Province (NWFP), Sindh, Doda, Kargil and
Kashmir
came all the way by train to Chennai to express their anguish with the daily killings and unending nightmare. The message of South Asians after living together for one week was clear. The people of
India
and
Pakistan
are tired of bloodshed and the time has come to resolve the disputed issues and live in peace.
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