Setback to Pak-India peace process

The peace process between Pakistan and India received a setback following the continuous firing by the Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary, killing and injuring numerous Pakistani nationals. Then came the recent Indian decision to put pre-conditions to the meeting of the National Security Advisers, which was to take place in New Delhi on August 23-24.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Vikas Swarup announced that "India has advised Pakistan that it would not be appropriate for Sartaj Aziz to meet with Hurriyat representatives in India." Swarup added: "We have also sought confirmation of our proposed agenda for the NSA level talks that was conveyed to the Pakistani side on August 18. The meeting will not be appropriate and would not be in keeping with the spirit and intent of the understanding to jointly work to combat terror."
Earlier, top Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Syed Ali Shah Geelani were put under house arrest before the NSA talks. They were later released except for Geelani.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz made it clear that the agreement reached in Ufa was interpreted differently by the Indians. "We wanted modalities of Kashmir discussed. Holding talks on Kashmir will reduce tension. Ufa objective was to reduce tension, so we need to discuss Kashmir not terror," he was quoted as saying. Aziz, nevertheless, announced the talks between the director generals of the Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) were on track and would go ahead as planned on September 6.
Reports have quoted Mani Shankar Ayer, an Indian diplomat who has served in Pakistan, asserting that the meeting between the two prime ministers in Ufa and the joint communiqué based on it were "ill conceived" and bound to be "disastrous." He believes the "two prime ministers met on highly sensitive matters with no prior preparation which created confusion and different interpretations of what had been concluded."
Pakistan was expected to ask India to revive the foreign secretary-level talks and to raise the issue of bail granted to the main accused in Samjhauta blasts case during the meeting of the National Security advisers of the two countries. Regular firing by the Indian troops across the LoC and the Working Boundary were also to be part of the NSA discussions. India had cancelled the foreign secretary-level talks in August last year after the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi held consultations with the Kashmiri leaders. No date has been fixed for foreign secretary level talks.
It is apparent that the Indian side did not want Pakistan to discuss the broader agenda that included Kashmir, which has resulted in three wars between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Indian firing is being exploited by the Indian media to create war hysteria and xenophobia in the country.
While the Indian government may have developed a new national security doctrine, it has no clear well executed strategy to resolve the Kashmir issue. In fact, South Block has become beholden to short-sighted and narrow minded approach to the problem.
In the context of current events, the bottom-line is that incidents on the LoC and high profile cancellation of NSA talks have made it clear to the world at large that the Kashmir issue has to be resolved at the earliest keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of the valley. Patterns of history and those patterns shaping the events of today continue to show the region cannot move forward with the Kashmir imbroglio being pushed under the carpet. The Kashmir issue has been thrust back into the limelight once again due to Indian intransigence.