i dont think Kashmir would ever slip from Pakistan's agenda as it is a very deep-rooted issue for ALL Pakistanis....not just the government.
All Pakistani's??
It may have had resonance back in the 90's when all we had was PTV churning out Kashmir stories 24/7 as part of its propoganda tool to brainwash the population. However, times are a changing as someone once said.
From my visits to Pakistan throughout the last 12 years, I don't see any evidence of Kashmir presenting itself as a deep-rooted issue for ALL Pakistani's as you claim. Pakistani's have so many local and national issues that Kashmir no longer has the same resonance it once did. Inflation, increasing poverty, unemployment, worsening law and order, water issues, corruption, loadshedding - those are the deep-rooted issues that Pakistani's want answers to. My cousins and friends aren't talking to me about Kashmir, and when I ask them, they say what everyone knows - it's a political football played by the military.
Coupled with the explosion of private media channels, the focus is much more on domestic issues, rather than Kashmir. How many nightly talk shows even touch on Kashmir? How many news items a day do you see in the Pakistani print and TV media? Exactly, close to zilch. We have much more on our plate to deal with than Kashmir.
Then take those issues that we have above. Are those the issues that Kashmiris want? Are they charging the LoC to cross into Pakistan in the hundreds or thousands on a daily basis? Where is the 'bandh's' that were so common in Kashmir? The protests? The news of Hurriyat having meetings with xyz from the Centre?
Kashmir seems relatively stable right now. The prospects for them seems better there than it does being part of the hell hole that is Pakistan today. We can't look after our own people in Balouchistan, in KP, in Sindh so what enticing benefits have we got lined up for Kashmiri's? 18 hour loadshedding? Any takers? Didn't think so.
Whether you like it or not, the freedom struggle mantra we gripped on to has no buyers in the world today. Syed's statements if true in the context it's mentioned is a classic case of the chickens coming home to roost. We have that already in the North West of the country, and the last thing we need is this in the North East.
9/11 changed everything in a day, our stance carried no weight then, and it doesn't now. Emerging India is everyones buddy, and no one dare upset it. We're weak on all fronts, diplomatically, militarily, and most important of all, economically.
The solution is simple, and has been for a while. Take what we have (LoC as the border / soft border), and look for solid peace, and increased trade and trust. The days of relying on these tools as proxies to further military and foreign policy is long gone.
However, if we crave isolation, then by all means continue supporting these groups. With that approach, we can carry on tightening the noose around our necks.