Indian author moots confederation to settle Kashmir issue
NEW DELHI: Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday released a book that calls for a confederation of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh but without undoing the partition as the only way to address poverty and resolve the Kashmir dispute.
“Common action is easier on areas of convergence than of divergence,” Mr Ansari said. For convergence, there is a need to move “beyond the traditional paradigm of conventional security into those of human security and human wrong. Both are ignored by the governments and societies in our region. There is a crying need for the recognition and implementation of both. Only then would we develop the perception and capacity for correctives.”
Mr Kulkarni said his book sought to ‘harmonise’ the nationalism of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. “The people and governments of our three countries should refuse to remain prisoners of the past. We must create a better future for our coming generations, a future of peace, shared progress, eradication of poverty, justice and dignity for every human being in our subcontinent. To do so is our moral responsibility towards humanity. After all, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have the world’s largest number of poor, deprived and divided people with common civilisational ancestry. Besides, neither India nor Pakistan nor Bangladesh can develop to their full potential without transitioning from discord to concord, from hostility to cooperation.”