A letter to Bill Clinton, President of the United States

A letter to Bill Clinton, President of the United States

07 July 1999

Bill Clinton, President of the United States
Whitehouse
Washington DC

Dear Bill Clinton

Re: Kargil and the Kashmir Dispute
Thank you for taking personal interest in resolving the Kargil impasse, which could have led to a disastrous war in South Asia. Without your intervention and pressure this would not have been possible.

Although what has been achieved is remarkable, but a lot more needs to be done in order to make that region safe and danger free. As you know the cause of the present crises was not issue of Kargil, but the future status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. If the root cause is not solved according to the declared wishes of the Kashmiri people then problems like Kargil may erupt in future as well, hence endangering the lives of millions of people.

We Kashmiri have high hope that you would take personal interest to ensure that the core issue of Kashmir is solved peacefully. We all know that the UN resolutions have failed to provide a viable solution to the Kashmir dispute; we also know that bilateral talks and the Shimla Agreement has not provided a solution, so we need to look for something new.

There is an urgent need for some kind of mediation – direct or indirect – to help the both countries to resolve the dispute. At the same time participation of genuine Kashmiri leadership in the process of dialogue is must. The Third Option, option to become an independent country, is getting more important, as the both countries cannot agree on any decision based on the UN resolutions or on the basis of give and take. It is my humble request to you to look into the Third Option again and take initiative that the core issue of Kashmir can be resolved according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

I am sending my new booklet, Options On Kashmir, to you and if you have some time, please read it as it gives some food for thought for the resolution of Kashmir.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Shabir Choudhry
President Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front