US intl relations chief opposes proposal for Kashmir envoy

WASHINGTON, SEPT 29: Chairman of the US International Relations Committee Benjamin Gilman and Democrat Sam Gejdenson have opposed the pro...

WASHINGTON, SEPT 29: Chairman of the US International Relations Committee Benjamin Gilman and Democrat Sam Gejdenson have opposed the proposal to appoint a special envoy to Kashmir even as more than 60 US lawmakers urged President Bill Clinton to go ahead with the move.

In a letter to Clinton, Gilman and Gejdenson opined that any move to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue could fracture the peace process in the region.

Instead of appointing a special envoy, Islamabad should be firmly asked to refrain from sending infiltrators into India, they demanded.

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More than 60 US lawmakers have pressed President Bill Clinton to appoint a special envoy to mediate the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

Stating that the South Asian region was the “most dangerous nuclear flash point in the world today,” the lawmakers told Clinton that Washington should take a leadership role in solving the Kashmir issue peacefully.

Gilman and Gejdenson said the appointment of a special envoy to Kashmir “would be a severe setback to the cause of regional security in South Asia.”

They said that since constructive dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad had been identified by the Clinton administration as the best chance for the successful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, bilateral negotiations and meaningful dialogue between the two should be encouraged.