Emotionally fraught situations lead to spontaneous reactions. When the “spontaneous” gesture comes 10 days after the event, it raises eyebrows. General Musharraf’s announcement that Pakistan is willing to allow an open LoC to allow Kashmiris “to meet relatives and assist with the reconstruction effort” is just such an example of gimmick diplomacy. If the Pakistani president had made the offer — conveyed to the Indian government, in Musharraf’s inimitable style, through the media — say 48 hours after the October 8 earthquake, it would have carried weight. Given the spurt in terrorist violence over the past week, it has an altogether different connotation. For some three days after the earthquake, there was virtually no LoC. Jihadist groups used the confusion to cross over. Unmindful of the tragedy surrounding them, they have struck with the ferocity that is their trademark. The killing of innocent Hindus earlier this week has been compounded by the assassination of J&K’s education minister, and the attempt on the state’s most senior CPI(M) leader. Indeed, after the October 18 bloodbath in Srinagar, even the Marxists — rarely votaries of a hard line in Kashmir — have pointed to the escalation in militancy.Across the LoC, the news is no less alarming. Terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba have outpaced the Pakistani government in supervising relief. This may be a good PR stunt, particularly before visiting journalists. Yet it also establishes their absolute mastery over the area: if they are a law unto themselves in times of disaster, are they not so in more “normal” times of conflict? An “open LoC”, while a noble idea in theory, can as easily be an open invitation to the Lashkar version of the Trojan Horse.It is a measure of confused public discourse in India that issues have so easily got mixed up after the earthquake. Providing food and shelter to the survivors — wherever they may be — is non-negotiable. The fact that the LoC is a barrier, unfortunate as it is, is a reality. The obstacle can be minimised, but not wished away. India cannot be emotionally blackmailed into accepting an open LoC as a fait accompli. Neither Musharraf nor televised fireside chats from Uri can alter that resolve.
