Zardari makes U-turn on Kashmir
Updated
It's been a tumultuous few days in Pakistan. At the weekend, President Asif Ali Zardari issued a shock policy U-turn, saying groups fighting for the freedom of Indian-administered Kashmir would be known from now as terrorists, not freedom fighters. India has welcomed the shift; New Delhi has long argued that Pakistani militants battling for independence in Kashmir are under the clandestine control of the Pakistan army. Mr Zardari added to the bonhomie with New Delhi by declaring that India is no longer a threat to Pakistan.
As the 60,000 strong army was digesting the president's remarks, a suicide bomber targeted the home of Rasheed Akbar Niwani - an opposition MP in Nawaz Sharif's party. Seven people died in the attack. No one has claimed responsibility for it yet, and there is no news on whether Mr Niwani was hurt.
Presenter: Tom Fayle
Speaker: Christopher Snedden, Pakistan specialist at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
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SNEDDEN: Look the only reason I can find is that there may have been some sectarian issues. Mr Niwani's a Shia apparently and there is some Sunni Shia violence that's taken place in that particular part of Punjab in years gone by and that may be the only factor that I can find, apart from that also he may appear to be a fairly soft target that a suicide bomber could get into a function like that. And of course now there's a lot of celebration going on in Pakistan that might have been a problem as well.
FAYLE: Indeed now let's turn to those comments by President Zardari about Kashmir, now the terminology's been switched from freedom fighter to terrorist. How significant is this?
SNEDDEN: Well it's significant but there's a few aspects to this comment. Firstly he made these comments while he was overseas to a particular audience or with a particular audience in mind, particularly the United States and also India. India has been very pleased to hear such comments. But secondly, it may actually be that Mr Zardari is genuinely concerned about terrorists as a result of the Marriott bombing. But there's a third aspect, and he may also be trying to assert the … democracy rule over the military, because I'm not sure the military still sees these people as freedom fighters or has changed their mind and thinks of them as terrorists. So there may be that as well. But also I think part of his problem is you cannot actually always believe what he says. He says things to certain people at certain times for certain reasons.
FAYLE: Now these remarks have gone down well in New Delhi, no surprise there I guess?
SNEDDEN: No surprise there, they've also gone down well in the US but there is apparently a lot of unease, disenchantment amongst the non-English speaking people in Pakistan. The middle class English speaking elite is fairly circumspect, but the Urdu and other speaking people are quite upset with Mr Zardari's about face.
FAYLE: Yes indeed I mean ordinary Pakistanis for decades have used the terminology of freedom fighters, they do it automatically don't they?
SNEDDEN: Well yes and the other group of people who are upset of course are the people in the Kashmir valley who genuinely see many of these people as freedom fighters. They may be disenchanted with a few of the so-called foreign militants, but overall most people see these people as fighting for Kashmiris' freedom from India.
FAYLE: Now do you think that the main focus of this perhaps, and I know you've listed a few, that the main focus there is to curry greater favour with India?
SNEDDEN: Yes I do because Mr Zardari and Manmohan Singh did meet on the sidelines at the General Assembly in New York recently, and there was a joint statement issued whereby they talked about wanting to normalise the relationship quickly and effectively. And I think Mr Zardari has partially made that statement with that aim in mind to try and normalise the relationship with India. He's also said he doesn't personally feel threatened by India and nor should Pakistan. So I think he's trying to move the relationship forward, similarly as did General Musharraf of course.
FAYLE: Now is there any suggestion that he could be laying the groundwork for possibly the US to make a nuclear overture to Pakistan in the same way that they have done with New Delhi?
SNEDDEN: No, no suggestion at all although Pakistan and the Prime Minister, Mr Gilani have said this would also like a similar agreement and believes now India's got it with the US it is also entitled to such a one-two-three agreement as the India-US agreement is called.
FAYLE: And what about on the other border, the western border, his discussion and his remarks about Kashmir, do you think they presage any change of policy on Afghanistan for better or worse?
SNEDDEN: No I don't, I think the two are fairly separate. In fact there's a lot of things happening on the western border, not just the Pakistan army is in force, but now some of the tribals and the Bajaur agency have taken on some of these Taliban as well, and have said this is unacceptable. So there's a bit of a groundswell against the Taliban on that border, and I'm not sure that the two are yet related in any significant way.
