Despite skirmishes, alleged infiltration bids and ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) the helmsmen of India and Pakistan officially met and shook hands recently in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. However, in Kashmir there remains a difference of opinion for any forward movement on the Kashmir dispute, as key opinion makers in the Himalayan region insist on “restoring the credibility of the dialogue process”. Few voices, however, maintain that talking is “inevitable” in all situations.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh for a little over an hour on September 29 and agreed to reduce tensions along the LoC. The Indian Army on Saturday claimed to have killed four more militants in the North frontier district of Kupwara in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Indian Army’s spokesperson based in Srinagar’s sensitive 15 Corps said that as many as 19 militants have been killed in the operation that commenced on September 24 in the Shalbata area, close to the LoC.

In the tense valley of Kashmir, the opinion on Indo-Pak talks with respect to the Kashmir resolution is heavily against the “pointless process” in which leaders meet but no concrete steps are taken to restore the faith of the people in the institution of dialogue.

International law expert Dr. Sheikh Showkat Hussain believes that in essence no dialogue has taken place between the leaders of India and Pakistan.

“This (Sharif-Singh meeting) was the accomplishment of an assignment given to both parties by the US President, Mr. Barack Obama.” According to Dr. Sheikh, the Americans do not want any tension at the LoC, at a time when the US troops are preparing for their departures from Afghanistan.

Tension on the LoC will provide Pakistan a pretext to remove forces from its western borders. That situation, the US fears, would make their troops vulnerable to fatal attacks from the Taliban.

There are also strong and angry reactions from the pro-freedom camp in Kashmir. Yasin Malik, the prominent leader and chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said in New Delhi that Indo-Pak leaders have “held the entire Kashmiri nation hostage to photo ops and smiles for cameras” in the name of the dialogue. Malik was on way to Nepal to meet his daughter and family there.

“Four generations of Kashmiris have suffered since the past 66 years. Mr. Singh and Mr. Sharif had no dialogue at all. To call their meeting a dialogue is to show disrespect to the process,” the JKLF chief said. Malik articulated that there exists a “trust deficit” since Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah’s time. He concluded,

Both India and Pakistan are responsible for damaging the credibility of dialogue as an institution. First and foremost, both these nations need to restore the credibility.

On the contrary, there are few voices who insist on the importance of talks in all situations. Salman Anees Soz, a political activist associated with the pro-India Congress party, told Dawn.com over the phone that no better alternative exists to replace dialogue.

“We understand Pakistan has difficulties. There is also a question mark on the credibility of the dialogue process from all sides. But talking is inevitable in all situations,” said Salman Soz who is also the son of the Congress Party’s chief in Kashmir, Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz. He further stated,

We are neighbours. We can’t say we won’t have a dialogue because there are challenges and difficulties like the incursions on the LoC . No matter what, only dialogue is the way forward.

For common Kashmiris like Muneeb Raja, a hotelier, not much seems to be happening for the resolution of Kashmir issue. “I don’t see anything happening on Kashmir front. There are elections coming up in Jammu and Kashmir and India next year. Nawaz Sharif is not able to handle his armed forces. In such a scenario, I see little hope for Kashmir as of now.”

Sabeena, a student of biotechnology, expressed her displeasure by saying that the talks between India and Pakistan have never been result-oriented. “If there is no outcome what is the fun of holding such an exercise? I guess Indo-Pak leaders have not only failed Kashmiris, but also their own people because of their failed diplomatic drills.”

No doubt that Dr. Singh and Nawaz Sharif left New York with renewed pledges and promises of mutual restraint in Kashmir but very little seems to have changed on the ground.

Even those favouring the dialogue in Kashmir seem to be aware of the “credibility crisis” and insist that dialogue ought to be result-oriented and meaningful.