Srinagar: Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti, on Saturday again spoke about ‘decisive’ confidence-building-measures (CBMs) to be taken by the political leadership in Delhi to ensure an environment of peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir. An effective development and good governance in the State was possible only if such an ambience is created, she asserted.
Mufti who was speaking at a rally of PDP workers at Vijaypur on the outskirts of winter capital Jammu said, “Peace and stability are possible only when we revive, with firm resolve and with tangible CBMs, the process of reconciliation and engagement in and around Jammu and Kashmir.” She added, “New Delhi shall have to reach out to J&K to end gloomy scenario of despair, alienation”.
She also made a pitch for resumption of dialogue between the Centre and Kashmiri separatists and New Delhi and Islamabad to address the internal and external dimensions of the Kashmir issue.
This comes a day after the PDP chief had, after two-month suspense, dropped hints of going ahead with BJP in government formation, saying she was "not afraid" of criticism over it but wanted the Centre to send out a "signal" that it will do "everything" for the welfare of people of Jammu and Kashmir. "For us, the decision taken by my father, if that aim and that aspiration is fulfilled then I am not afraid if people blame me for going with BJP whether they feel good or bad. If people are benefitted then there is no issue," she had said while launching party's membership drive in Jammu.
At Saturday’s rally, Mufti said J&K has huge stakes in peace and stability in the region, as people in its principal region-Kashmir Valley and Jammu- have to suffer enormous human and economic losses because of the hostility. “While people living along the borders in Jammu region suffer and live under the constant threat of cross-border shelling, the people in Kashmir Valley are suffering because of the continued internal strife and recurrent violence,” she said and added that peace along the borders in Jammu region and within the mainland in the Valley is key to development and progress as had happened between 2002 and 2005 (when PDP was ruling the State at the head of a coalition government with Congress).
“There was not only peace along the borders from Kathua to Kargil, during that golden era, but the situation in Kashmir Valley had also started turning for good after witnessing a long gloomy era of death and destruction,” she said. She added, “Unfortunately due to the reversal of the peace and reconciliation process after 2008, uncertainty has again returned to haunt the people of the State”.
She also said, “We shall have to ponder over the emerging situation in the State and go deep into the reasons for mounting alienation especially among the educated youth”. She was of the strong view that concrete measures ought to be taken to address the causes of alienation and cynicism and, at the same time, revive the process of intra-state and inter-state reconciliation, which, she said, was the dream of her father and former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. “Mufti Sahib wanted to take the peace and resolution process started between 2002 and 2005 to its logical conclusion,” she said.
Mufti said the Kashmir issue should not be seen through the security prism alone and the country needs to invest in J&K’s peace and own and acknowledge the pain and sufferings of its people. “The ordinary people of India need to participate in hand holding with Kashmiris to give them a sense of belonging,” she said adding that ‘when we talk of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India, we need to go beyond the ownership of land’. She cautioned, “People of Jammu and Kashmir should not be given to feel that their dignity is being undermined.”
The PDP chief said addressing the genuine political, economic and security concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is an issue which goes beyond power politics and requires a decisive political will at various levels. “We shall have to take decisive CBMs to end the gloomy scenario of despair and alienation the State has been once again pushed into,” she said and added that the most daring challenge for PDP is to be with the people and show solidarity with them. She also said that her party is committed to its resolve of working for peace, stability and development of Jammu and Kashmir.
