His Pakistani hosts delighted at his attempt to link terrorism to the Kashmir issue, Britain's young foreign secretary David Miliband on 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 Uttar Pradesh in the company of 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 last 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."
