The Kashmir dispute should be resolved through talks between India and Pakistan, according to former Indian spymaster AS Dulat.
On Sunday, he made these remarks at a literature festival in Jaipur. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants Jammu and Kashmir special status, was said to be unnecessary to repeal, according to the former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), who claimed that it merely served as a “fig leaf.”
Dulat advocated for dialogue with Islamabad and shared the belief that while “militancy” will continue to decline, “terrorism will remain unless we sort it out with Pakistan.”
He was in conversation with senior journalist Mandira Nayar about his latest book A Life in the Shadows: A Memoir, published by HarperCollins India.
“Pakistan has been an inherent part of Kashmir. Since 1947, what the government of India has been trying to do is to mainstream Kashmir and get Pakistan out of the Kashmiri minds. And I think we’ve succeeded to a very large extent.
“I had argued that we didn’t have to do away with Article 370 because there was nothing left in it. It was only a fig leaf which had provided a Kashmiri a little bit of dignity.”
The Modi government abrogated Article 370 on Aug 5, 2019. It was, however, unfortunate that Delhi had always viewed the region in “black and white” and ignored its “greys”.
Mr. Dulat, who is the only RAW chief to have visited Pakistan, said he had been to Pakistan four times, between 2010 and 2012.
“I have been to Lahore twice and also visited Islamabad and Karachi. It was a great experience,” he added.
He claimed that Track 2 or backchannel diplomacy helped him get to know Pakistan better. In his most recent book, he also discusses Ajit Doval, India’s current national security adviser.
A chance, according to Mr. Dulat, that the neighbors missed out on involved bringing Mr. Doval over to Pakistan at one point.
Attempts were also made to start a military-to-military dialogue, according to Dulat, who left the military in 2000.
