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Pakistan should pull down terror camps: Straw

H S Rao in London

In a tightrope walk ahead of his visit to New Delhi, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Thursday said dismantling of terrorist camps by Pakistan and creation of a climate for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir held the key to resolving Kashmir issue, but also asked India for more action to deal with human rights 'deficit' in the state.

Straw told BBC News Online, "What progress can be made does depend on the realities on the ground and the key is an end to cross-border infiltration and then a climate in Jammu and Kashmir in which election can take place. On the Pakistani side, action to deal with the terrorist camps and on the Indian side more action to deal with the human rights deficit in Jammu and Kashmir were also essential."

During the interview, Straw answered wide-ranging questions, mostly pertaining to Kashmir, Britain's arms sale to India and Pakistan and other related issues.

Asked how could he convince the leadership of the two countries to resolve their conflict 'once and for all', and start working for the betterment of their people, the British foreign secretary said: "Like the United States, in this situation we have influence but we don't have power and that's quite proper because we are dealing with two very large sovereign states here."

"What we can do is to encourage both sides initially to take steps to de-escalate tension along the Line of Control and then, over time, to encourage them to dialogue. In the end there can only be an agreement if India and Pakistan wills it. What we can do is try and create an environment in which that is easier," he said.

To a specific question on how to verify whether the cross-border terrorism has stopped at the Line of Control, Straw said: "There has been some progress. It is an inherently intrinsically difficult issue."

He said the verification has to 'fall to Indian and Pakistani forces' with some assistance from outside because of the terrain and the danger.

"There may come a time when there is a ceasefire and there is a benign environment to monitor, when there could be a role for the UN observers. Such an observer force requires the consent of both sides and at present that has not been forthcoming," he said.

Asked whether there would ever be an independent Kashmir, Straw said: "I am not going to predict the future. The first stage of this is for there to be free and fair election to the state assembly in Jammu and Kashmir. In that context I have welcomed the announcement by the Chief Election Commissioner of India detailing various steps which he has taken to strengthen the transparency of the elections including an open invitation to foreign diplomats, for journalists and he says to individuals who are working for NGOs."

"It was a very important announcement which may help ensure that there is a proper focus on the fairness of the election. Of course that has to go alongside a security situation which needs to be improved if people are able to feel free to vote," he said.

Asked about UN resolutions on Kashmir, he said the resolutions themselves were the subject of diplomatic argument between the two countries.

"However, what we have to do is look forward as well as back and take account of existing realities," he said.

Asked whether UK would apologise for its role at the time of partition, he said: "For me to apologise for what the British Government did when I was two would sound rather laughable, but there are for sure legacies of Britain's colonial past all over the world in which we deal. Some are good and some are not so good. The legacy of Kashmir is in the category of being not so good."

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu and Kashmir: The complete coverage

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