|
jammukashmir.net
|
|
An independent resource on Kashmir for researchers, journalists, academics, and the curious. November 2003: jammukashmir.net is back on-line and will be updated. Apologies for the lapse over the summer.
|
Site information and Kashmir-related eventsThis page hopefully answers any questions you may have. If not, please e-mail office@jammukashmir.net. Who runs this site?
Who pays for this site?
What's the point?
And finally ...We would like to thank all of you that make jammukashmir.net possible. It's only a useful resource if used, and contributed to, and will never be used for profit. Despite being a part-time activity, we would like to increase the content run on the site, and welcome suggestions as to what should go up. Kashmir related eventsForthcoming events None at present. Past events London, October 2003: London: April, 2003: Cambridge Union: March, 2003: Washington DC: July 11, 2002: Perspective from Kashmir: Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, London: June 18, 2002: London, May 27, 2002: London, April 11, 2002: Monday, March 25, 2002: Saturday, March 9, 2002: Friday 15 February, 2002: Kashmir and Afghanistan: Religion, Ethnicity and the Strategic Balance in South Asia At U.C.Berkeley (San Francisco) This event was free and open to the public. For more information, please call (510) 642-3608 or e-mail: csasasst@uclink4.berkeley.edu Kashmir meeting, House of Commons, London, Tuesday January 29, 2002 Kashmir round-table, SOAS, London, Saturday November 10, 2001
The morning session was chaired by Dr David Taylor, SOAS (who kindly provided the venue). The afternoon session was chaired by Dr Chris Smith, Centre for Defence Studies, King's College London. Attendees:
Attendance was free - but by pre-registration (and invitation) only. Apologies came from Victoria Schofield, who had planned to attend. Like the previous meeting, demonstrable expertise on Kashmir, or a related South Asian discipline, was a prerequisite for attendence. On that basis, lobbyists and official representatives of India, Pakistan and Kashmiri political organisations were excluded. It was held under the Chatham House rule. There was no sponsorship for the meeting, and all participants met their own costs. University of Oxford / United Nations Association Kashmir? Saturday May 19, 2001 FROM THE PRECIPICE OF WAR TO THE PATH
OF PEACE: A SYMPOSIUM ON THE KASHMIR CONFLICT Saturday,
March 17, 2001 - Austin Hall North, Harvard Law School Co-sponsored by Harvard Law School's Graduate Program
and Human Rights Program, as well as the Islamic Legal Studies Program. The
aim of the symposium is to facilitate friendly and cordial discussion where intellectuals
from India, Pakistan, Kashmir, and the United States come together and talk about peaceful
and long-lasting solutions to the Kashmir conflict. It
is a purely academic discussion aiming for peace and harmony in South Asia. Introductory
Remarks, 9:00 a.m. - Mr. Zubair Nawaz Chattha (Pakistan) and Mr.
Sidharath Garoo (Kashmir/India), LL.M.
candidates, Harvard Law School; and Professor Henry J. Steiner, Director, Harvard Law
School Human Rights Program First Session - 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. Chair: Professor
Henry J. Steiner, Harvard Law School AN INTRODUCTION TO THE KASHMIR DISPUTE: ANALYSIS OF
THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Panelists: Professor
Robert Wirsing (U.S.A.), Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii Dr.
Siddiq Wahid (Kashmir/India), Journalist, Kashmir Historian An
international law perspective on the history of Kashmir problem. Break: 10:45 to 11:00 a.m. Second Session
- 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Chair: Mr.
Peter Rosenblum, Harvard Law School COSTS OF THE KASHMIR CONFLICT AND THE DIVIDENDS OF
PEACE Panelists: Ms.
Patricia Gossman (U.S.A.), Former Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch, New York The socio-political analysis of the
human rights violations in the valley of Kashmir in the last decade. Professor
Hamida Bano (Kashmir/India), University of Kashmir The social and psychological impact of
the uprising on women and children in India-controlled Kashmir. Mr.
Michael Krepon (U.S.A.), President Emeritus, Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, D.C. The significance of the Kashmir
conflict in the wake of nuclear explosions by India and Pakistan. Professor
Hassan Askari Rizvi (Pakistan), Political Science Department, University of Punjab Economic costs of the conflict for
both India and Pakistan and the dividends of peace for South Asia. Lunch: 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Third Session -
1:45 to 3:15 p.m.
Chair: Professor Eileen Babbit,
Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy CONFIDENCE
BUILDING MEASURES: AN EFFORT TOWARDS PEACE IN KASHMIR
Panelists: Professor
Amitabh Mattoo, Jawaharlal Nehru University An
analysis of Pakistan and India’s new initiative for solving the Kashmir problem, and
an exploration of genuine path-breaking, confidence building measures to bring peace to
the region. Mr.
Stephen P. Cohen, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution,
Washington, D.C. The role of the United States in confidence building
measures in South Asia. Mr.
Usmaan R. Ahmed (Kashmir/India), Secretary General, Council for an Independent Kashmir The
people of Jammu and Kashmir and confidence building measures. Ambassador
Teresita Schaffer (U.S.A.), South Asia Program Director, Center for Strategic and
International Studies, Washington, D.C. Tea Break: 3:15 to 3:30 p.m. Fourth Session - 3:30 to 5:00
p.m.
Chair: Professor Andrew Hess, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy A FRAMEWORK FOR LONG LASTING PEACE IN
KASHMIR Panelists: Professor
Sumantra Bose, Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science Can India take a giant leap forward in solving the
Kashmir dispute for the sake of sustainable peace and stability in South Asia? Professor
Parvez Iqbal Cheema (Pakistan), President, Institute of Policy Research, Islamabad How can Pakistan respond to the new
developments over the Kashmir Conflict? Mr.
Yasin Malik (Kashmir/India), Chairman, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Executive Member,
All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Kashmir The
independence of Kashmir: a dream or reality? Ambassador Howard Schaffer (U.S.A.),
Director of Studies, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown
University,Washington, D.C. Closing Remarks: 5:00 to 5:15 p.m. Organized by
Indian and Pakistani students from Harvard Law School, MIT, Boston University, Kennedy
School of Government and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and with the assistance of
Mohammad Shahid. THIS EVENT IS
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Contact Mr.
Zubair Nawaz Chattha, (617) 480-3605, zchattha@law.harvard.edu;
Mr. Sidharath Garoo, (617) 493-9361, sgaroo@law.harvard.edu. Saturday, February 24, 2001 The first Kashmir Round-Table, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London For further information e-mail seminar@jammukashmir.net. An all-day round-table meeting was held on Kashmir. A small group of specialists discussed different aspects of contemporary Kashmir. Invitees represented a range of different types of expertise on Kashmir. There were no formal presentations. Alexander Evans and Jeffrey Kile jointly ran the meeting. A room was made available at SOAS thanks to David Taylor. The next meeting will be held on November 10, 2001. It had a very clear aim, not of seeking a solution to the Kashmir problem (many others continue to hunt for this), but to discuss in an open and frank way the current situation. This would split into three fronts; politics and security, economics and civil society, and current developments. It was by invitation only. After talking to some specialists, the consensus was that any meeting with South Asian diplomats or lobbyists present risks an uninspiring debate. We wanted to have a discussion that is, as far as possible, free of entrenched positions and stale rhetoric. One useful outcome was a list of 'black holes' in current Kashmir research, holes that
ought to be plugged. The Themes Politics and security There are many in both India and Pakistan who sense some change in the air, some moves towards talks on Kashmir. But public opinion, and the realities of strongly held maximalist positions on Kashmir, continue to obstruct substantial change. The militancy in Kashmir continues. Now in its thirteenth year, no immediate end to violence is in sight. But there have been some developments. In August 2000 the Hizbul Mujahadeen (HM), one of the largest militant groups, called a (brief) cease-fire. While the cease-fire and proposed talks quickly disintegrated, Majid Dar, the Valley HM commander, remains committed to searching for a route to the bargaining table. In November 2000, another move towards dialogue was made, this time from Delhi. Vajpayee’s Ramadan cessation of hostilities has paved the way for the forthcoming APHC visit to Pakistan. Talks could be on the horizon. Meanwhile casualties mount. The past year has seen a quantitative increase in militant attacks on security forces. Politics continues to stagnate in J&K. In Spring 2000 Farooq Abdullah’s proposals for autonomy were rejected by the Indian government. And in November the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) rejected a proposal from G M Shah for all party talks on Kashmir. In what ways has the stalemate in and over Kashmir changed, or is it simply the international context that has shifted? Where does the APHC stand today, given the current moves to a deal and the HM cease-fire in August? What of Farooq Abdullah given rejection of his autonomy proposals? Where is the militant centre of gravity? Civil Society and Economics Economics in Kashmir is often the poor relation. Given the lack of involvement by DfiD, USAID and the World Bank few even write about the complex state of underdevelopment that exists in both Indian and Pakistani administered Kashmir. The economics does matter. There is some talk of initiating economic reforms on both sides of the line of control. In Indian Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and his senior officials complain about the lack of funds available for development – as distinct from paying the massive state salaries bill. In Pakistani Kashmir, untapped potential for tourism and HEP deserves closer attention. What are the economic realities in J&K? Is any form of development feasible given current conditions? Is there a role for international and bilateral aid? One of the most interesting developments in contemporary Kashmir is the increasing emergence of civil society. Neither seeded nor supported by either government, a number of NGOs are beginning to find their feet covering a range of issues from the environment to rural development. This is a relatively new area that is worth investigating. What is the state of civil society in Kashmir, and to what extent are emerging organisations at a remove from politics? Are civil society organisations enabling a wider debate about the future of Kashmir to take place? To what extent can these new organisations alleviate conditions across Kashmir? Current developments A survey of current developments in Kashmir, and discussion of them.
This site is not funded by any party to the Kashmir conflict, nor does it solicit such funds. All comments and contributions welcome. |