The India-Pakistan Negotiations on Kashmir: For or Against the Kashmiri?

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is now in India for another round of the Kashmir negotiations with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Doubts and questions however flooded the talks: Will it be aimed towards providing self-determination to the Kashmiri people? Or just an arms battle? A pull-out of military troops? Or merely for show?

We have one question to ask: Should there be any negotiations at all?

The India-Pakistan conflict on Kashmir have caused more than half a million lives. Since 1947, the debate, the conflict and the negotiations have placed the lives of Kashmiri people on the line, endangering their lives while perpetually ignoring their voice and their stance on the issue.

Such peace negotiations would just simply be a popularity show and campaign for both Manmohan and Musharraf with the Kashmiri people’s aspirations and struggle undermined. For the people of Kashmir themselves can determine whether they want to merge with India or with Pakistan or whether they want to merge at all.