Ealing North
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Steve Pound MP Ealing North |
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E-news Update - 28th October 2003 |
Building bridges on the roof of the worldJanuary 2003 Seated on the veranda of the Highland Park Hotel and sipping a glass of locally distilled whisky while staring through the pines at snow-capped mountain peaks I could easily have been in Scotland. In reality I was at Gulmarg in Kashmir and the mountain I was looking up at was K2, the second highest in the world. Four colleagues and I had set out from Gatwick and our numbers were severely reduced by the time we eventually landed in Srinigar. Although on paper the unhealthiest of the team I was actually the only one who remained unaffected by the bewildering range of gastro-intestinal ailments that laid low the younger and more abstemious parliamentarians. This was my second visit to India and it is a shame that I have to record that the journey was undertaken at no cost to the UK taxpayer. We were in Srinigar to meet the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir; Mufti Mohammed Saeed. Kashmir engenders immensely strong emotions among many of my constituents. As readers will know this beautiful land has been the scene of almost constant warfare since 1947. One section is known as either Pakistan Occupied Kashmir or Azad (Free) Kashmir depending on the politics of the writer. One section is occupied by China and another large area to the north was occupied by Pakistan and then given to China. The remainder - Jammu and Kashmir - is one of the states of the Republic of India and was ruled for decades by the Abdullah family. Having already met Omar Abdullah, the previous Chief Minister, I was keen to meet his successor. That there was a free and successful election at all is something of a miracle. That the turnout exceeded 70% puts many other democracies to shame. Before meeting the Chief Minister I - as always - took the opportunity to speak to the people on the street. Although I was in a majority Muslim area there was universal condemnation of the recent beheading of three girls who refused to wear full Islamic dress. There was some criticism of Mohammed Saeed's "healing touch" policy in which he has sought to rebuild democracy by engaging all sections of the community and by releasing prisoners. It all sounded rather familiar! The centre of Srinigar is the once vast Lake Dal. Every morning boatmen appear at dawn to await the tourists who have been absent for fifteen years. Huge houseboat hotels with gorgeous carved wood bulkheads ring the lake but most are empty and awaiting the tourists who never come. Our meeting with the Chief Minister was conducted with the aid of the most massive security that I have ever experienced. I'm fairly used to close protection but have never before been escorted by four armoured cars and a mobile anti-aircraft gun. The Chief Minister seemed unfazed by all this and casually borrowed one of my cigarettes while he spelt out his vision of a new J&K. I hope that he will forgive me for saying the most impressive politician we met was his second daughter, Mehbooba Mufti. Her sister was kidnapped and she has suffered three assassination attempts in the past six months. Despite this she gave an electrifying speech that showed her commitment to a new politics in Kashmir. She acknowledged that the people had shown their faith in politics by voting a new administration in with such a high turnout. Now she needed to show that politics could deliver as well as it can divide. If peace can truly come to J&K then I have no doubt that Mehbooba Mufti will be one of those most responsible. After a frozen night in an otherwise empty hotel we took a trip that that part of Kashmir, which is forever Scotland. Even in January there were a few flowers amidst the snows and in the harsh but lovely landscape of this troubled land there were signs of the spring shoots of hope growing in the frozen soil. |
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| Disclaimer | Copyright | Designed by Bassam Mahfouz. Promoted by Julian Bell, The Labour Party, Ruskin Hall, 16 Church Road, W3 8PP on behalf of Steve Pound MP |
