Kashmir

Khalid Hassan discusses India's attitude towards Kashmir in this week's Friday Times http://www.thefridaytimes.com/ (The Kashmir Mirage).

In this discussion, he quotes from a August 25th, 1952 letter from Pt. Nehru to Sheikh Abdullah:

We are superior to Pakistan in military and industrial power. But that superiority is not so great as to produce results quickly in war or by fear of war. Therefore, our national interest demands that we should adopt a peaceful policy towards Pakistan and, at the same time, add to our strength. Strength ultimately comes not from defence forces, but the industrial and economic background behind them. As we grow in strength, and we are likely to do so, Pakistan will feel less and less inclined to threaten or harass us, and a time will come when, through sheer force of circumstances, it will be in a mood to accept a settlement which we consider fair, whether in Kashmir or elsewhere.

His sentiments are obviously widely shared -- today, 52 years later.

In our view, India is not merely superior to Pakistan in military and industrial power, it is also superior as a political system. While the former allow us to dictate a solution, it is the latter that gives us the moral basis to do so.