Friendship between India and Pakistan imperative for peace: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday took stock of the damages caused by ceasefire violations in RS Pura area and said that friendship between India and Pakistan is 'necessary' for the civilians living peacefully along the international borders. Mehbooba Mufti toured various villages in RS Pura, along the international border, and inquired the locals of the damages caused due to recent ceasefire violations from across the border.

"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) should follow the policy of Atal Behari Vajpayee and should tell them that they want peace and friendship with Pakistan," she said. Peace is imperative towards giving employment to the people of the state, Mufti said. "We also feel that war should not happen as it would lead to destruction. So let us come and adopt a path to reconciliation and friendship," she said.

"The contradiction as when India and Pakistan were trading bombs in RS Pura, Pakistan was sending onions to India from Wagah border in Punjab and we were sending them rupees from India. If you can get onions from Pakistan and send them money, why cannot you make arrangement that bullets are not exchanged from this place," Mufti said. "We do not have money for roads; we do not have money for hospitals. Pakistan's situation is even worse than ours.

"People there are also poor, but we are ready to spend money on bombarding one another," she said.

PDP President said that her father's, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, agenda is to make Jammu and Kashmir a peaceful state where people can live and work in peace.