Miliband leaves trail of controversies

Islamabad/New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) His Pakistani hosts
delighted at his attempt to link terrorism to the Kashmir
issue, Britain's young Foreign Secretary David Miliband
Saturday ended his visit to the sub-continent leaving a trail
of controversies in India.

The 43-year-old, who took the trouble of spending a
night at a Dalit's hut in the northern Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh in the company of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also
left some unpleasantness in the Indian establishment because
of his "somewhat brash style", according to informed sources
in New Delhi.

Media reports have stated that in his meetings with
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee, Miliband's "posture and style of talking
were a little too aggressive". He is said to have stridently
argued that the Mumbai terror attacks were the result of the
Kashmir issue remaining unresolved.

Thereafter, he chose to write in a British newspaper
that resolution of the Kashmir issue would deny extremists in
the region one of the main reasons for taking up arms. This
invited criticism from the Indian Foreign Office which said
that India did not not need "unsolicited advice" on Kashmir.

Miliband also put his faith in the Pakistani judicial
system by suggesting that Pakistanis wanted in connection with
the Mumbai attacks should be tried in that country itself to
give its judicial system a chance.

Winding up his visit, the British minister told
journalists in Islamabad Friday night that terrorism emanating
from Pakistan was different from that in the middle east or
Sri Lanka as "different disputes" were involved. This would
appear to be a reference to Kashmir again.

Miliband also said that Britain would back an
"intensive India-Pakistan dialogue" to resolve the Kashmir
problem.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani welcomed
Miliband's linkage of terrorism to Kashmir by stating that a
resolution of the "root cause of extremism" would enable the
Pakistan government to "effectively focus its attention to
tackle the threats of extremism and terrorism on its western
borders".

Even some in his own Labour party found Miliband's
views unconvincing with Stephen Pound, a pro-India lawmaker,
saying Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for
the Mumbai attack, will not give up violence even if the
Kashmir dispute is resolved.

"Lashkar-e-Taiba has tasted blood. They will not give
up violence even if the Kashmir dispute is resolved tomorrow,"
Pound, former Chairman of the 'Labour Friends of India', a
pro-India parliamentary lobby said.

Pound said "India is much closer to the Line of
Control than Britain. Kargil happened not too long ago. If I
were the Indian Minister of Defence, I'd want other countries
to keep quiet about the subject."