National Conference calls Centre's 'deafening silence' on Kashmir 'immoral'
Srinagar: Opposition National Conference (NC) on Thursday said the Centre's "deafening silence" on the killing of civilians in Kashmir was "immoral" and demanded an "open-ended" dialogue for resolution of the situation involving Pakistan, the separatists and all stakeholders.
"The Centre should realise that the Kashmir issue is a political one and not a manifestation of terrorism or a generic law-and-order problem," NC provincial president for Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani said here.
"New Delhi should immediately engage in a sustainable and open-ended dialogue with Islamabad as well as the stakeholders in Kashmir, including the Hurriyat Conference leadership.
"The prolonged delay in reaching out to the people of Kashmir through a comprehensive political initiative is fraught with unimaginable risks," he warned.
"The Centre's deafening silence on the continued killings of civilians in Kashmir is immoral. The alienation in the Valley, especially among the youth, is unprecedented and endemic," said Wani.
He claimed that the Centre's "tried and tested" method of dealing with the Kashmir problem as a law-and-order issue had created a "sense of hopelessness and despair" in the Valley.
"The absence of any political engagement with the sentiment in Kashmir has created a very hostile atmosphere. New Delhi's failure to even acknowledge that the issue that needs to be dealt with is a political one is extremely dangerous.
"With every passing day, the youth of Kashmir is losing whatever little remaining vestiges of faith it has in the democratic system and that is a loud and clear condemnation of both the state and the Centre," he alleged.
