05/31/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09916

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

On May 21st, Abdul Ghani Lone, a moderate Kashmiri political leader, was assassinated. Mr. Lone was a member of the All Party Hurriyat (PRON.: hur-REE-yaht, or Freedom) Conference, an umbrella organization of separatist groups. Some of them seek independence for Kashmir, while others want Kashmir to become part of Pakistan.

Unlike some of his colleagues, Mr. Lone had said that he was "not averse to talking with India or anyone else." He was one of a few members of Kashmir’s separatist alliance who had considered participating in the upcoming assembly elections in the portion of Kashmir controlled by India. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the murder of Mr. Lone "is a direct attack on hopes for a fair political process in Kashmir."

Mr. Lone’s assassination was the latest act of terrorism related to the conflict over Kashmir. In October, thirty-one people were killed and at least sixty others were injured when terrorists detonated a bomb at the main entrance of Kashmir’s legislative assembly building in Srinagar. The Kashmiri terrorist group Jaish e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for that attack. Jaish-e-Mohammed is an Islamic extremist group that seeks through violence to unite Kashmir with Pakistan.

In December, an armed group attacked India’s parliament in New Delhi. The attack resulted in the death of nine security personnel and parliamentary staffers. India has blamed the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Jaish e-Mohammed terrorist groups for the attack. India has demanded that Pakistan prevent such terrorist groups from operating out of Pakistan or Pakistan-controlled territory.

Since December, Pakistan has cracked down on Islamic extremists. They include leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, as well as members of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islami, a Muslim party with ties to the Taleban and Kashmiri terrorist groups. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has pledged that Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used for terrorism. The United States welcomes this assurance. But what counts is whether terrorist infiltration across the Line of Control stops. The Line of Control, more than seven-hundred kilometers long, separates the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir from that controlled by Pakistan.

The tension between India and Pakistan is worrisome. It is vital for all sides to exercise restraint and reduce the violence. It is important for India and Pakistan to resume a productive dialogue over the issues that divide them, including Kashmir.