This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 007794 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2015 
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PBTS IN PK INDO PAK
SUBJECT: GOI J&K POINTMAN CAUTIOUSLY UPBEAT ON INDO-PAK, 
OPPOSES ARTIFICIAL TIMETABLES 
 
REF: A. NEW DELHI 7259 
     ¶B. NEW DELHI 1480 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: In an October 4 meeting with visiting US 
Ambassador to Islamabad Ryan Crocker, GOI Interlocutor on 
Kashmir NN Vohra was generally upbeat on Indo-Pak relations 
and said that Islamabad is sending positive signals on 
Kashmir, but Musharraf is not doing enough to combat 
cross-border terrorism.  He was forward-leaning on 
possibilities for future Indo-Pak cooperation in Kashmir, but 
cautioned that India won't be rushed into anything, 
especially with a Pakistani leader they feel they cannot 
trust.  End Summary. 
 
Upbeat on Indo-Pak State of Play 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Vohra was positive on the diplomatic state of play 
between New Delhi and Islamabad, and noted incremental 
progress on trade and people-to-people interaction.  "There 
is a thaw, and forward movement, but we need to foster mutual 
interdependence to increase peoples' investment in peace and 
normalcy," he said.  Commenting briefly on the October 3-5 
Foreign Ministers' meetings in Islamabad, Vohra predicted 
that "there will be some movement on Siachen," which was 
short-listed for special attention by the two governments in 
the joint statement issued later that day. 
 
¶3.  (C) Vohra continued that visible indicators look good, 
and he listed reviving the Joint Committee to facilitate 
trade (Ref B), expanding trade and transportation links 
("many Kashmir focused"), and PM Singh's visit to Pakistan 
(dates TBD) all as positive signs.  On expanding 
transportation services in Kashmir, he told Ambassador 
Crocker that Pakistan had turned down a Kargil-Skardu bus 
route, but was interested and "on the right track" on the 
Jammu-Sialkot bus service.  On people-to-people interactions, 
Vohra was especially positive, saying that "their 
(beneficial) impact is difficult to describe." 
 
GOP Sending Positive Kashmir Signals ... 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Vohra added that Islamabad's decision to shift its 
attention toward the moderate Mirwaiz Kashmiri separatist 
faction and away from hardliners such as SAS Geelani was very 
constructive.  He described his meeting in Delhi with former 
Pakistani Kashmir leader Sardar Qayyum Khan as positive, if 
anodyne: "He said nothing revolutionary, nor did we expect 
him to."  He noted, however, that Qayyum was castigated by 
extremists in Pakistan -- especially by the Hizbul Mujahedeen 
and the United Jehad Council terrorist outfits -- for his 
remark that "azadi ("freedom") would not be possible for 100 
years," a comment that was well received in New Delhi. 
 
... But Not Doing Enough on the Ground 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Turning to Kashmir-oriented terrorism, Vohra warned 
that Musharraf continues to "tighten and loosen the tap," the 
jihadis remain the main players in Kashmir, he affirmed, and 
Geelani cannot be entirely written off.  He was particularly 
concerned by a disturbing new trend of high altitude 
infiltration the Army tracked over the past few months. 
According to Vohra, even large groups of terrorists are 
beginning to choose passes over 15,000 feet and in tougher 
terrain over easier traditional routes. 
India Knows It Can't Avoid Kashmir Forever ... 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6.  (C) Vohra downplayed Pakistani concerns that normalizing 
Indo-Pak relations would allow New Delhi to forget Kashmir: 
"It's just not possible, the whole world wants us to solve 
this."  He agreed with Ambassador Crocker on the importance 
of articulating to Islamabad that this was an unfounded fear, 
and that both governments need to address the aspirations of 
all their peoples.  The GOI considers the confidence-building 
and normalization processes to be the necessary groundwork 
for, and not an alternative to, substantial progress on 
Kashmir, Vohra explained. 
 
... But Artificial Timelines Do Not Help 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Vohra throughout the meeting reiterated that the GOI 
would not permit Musharraf to "hurry up a solution." 
"Musharraf needs to keep to a reasonable pace, pushing does 
not work in India, speeding up a process only leads people to 
question more deeply what you are doing," he advised.  Vohra 
also cautioned against raising expectations of a timeline, as 
long as incremental progress continued at a reasonable pace. 
 
Indo-Pak Water Cooperation Critical (and Possible) 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶8.  (C) Water scarcity is a contentious issue in both 
countries, especially in the two Punjabs, because the 
glaciers that feed the watersheds are contracting at an 
alarming pace, Vohra reported.  He underlined that bilateral 
relations would have to improve dramatically before any 
substantial cooperation in this field is possible, and noted 
that a number of hydel projects in J&K have added to Indo-Pak 
tensions (Ref A).  That said, Vohra outlined a series of 
cooperative projects that he said would benefit both 
countries once relations are firmly on the right track: joint 
forest and conservation management, soliciting Pakistani 
investment in hydel power generation in J&K to give 
Pakistanis a voice and a stake in development, and "free 
trade in power" (i.e. connecting the electricity grids). 
 
GOI Needs Musharraf to Prove Himself 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9.  (C) Vohra contrasted Musharraf ("one man answerable to 
nobody else") to the UPA government ("a coalition answerable 
to a dozen constituencies and more"). Ambassador Crocker 
answered that Musharraf must still balance important 
constituencies and did not have the unimpeded freedom of 
action that some ascribe to him.  Vohra nodded in agreement 
when Ambassador Crocker added that public sentiment is 
important even in non-democracies, but underlined that the 
GOI needed to be confident that Musharraf would live up to 
his commitments, including on terrorism -- and demonstrate 
this by taking "irreversible steps against terrorist 
infrastructure" -- before New Delhi would entertain any 
"final solution" on Kashmir.  Ambassador Crocker pointed out 
that, ultimately, only the GOI could determine Musharraf's 
sincerity. 
 
¶10.  (U) Ambassador Crocker has cleared this message. 
 
¶11.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) 
Mulford