Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 30: Former J&K Chief Minister and patron of People’s Democratic Party, Mufti Mohd Sayeed has said that his party will create national consensus on its pragmatic road map for resolving Kashmir issue, involving all the genuine stake holders.
Addressing party workers at a grand function organized at the party headquarters here in connection with the Foundation Day of the party today, the PDP leader reiterated his resolve to carry forward the mission of ending State’s political and economic despair by resolving Kashmir issue if his party comes to power. He said that his party had a pragmatic roadmap for the resolution of Kashmir problem. The PDP will involve all the stake holders including people of Jammu and Kashmir, those of PoK and India and Pakistan. The party would also create national consensus on its roadmap and resolution of Kashmir, Mufti maintained.
“We will take our agenda to the all parts of the country to convince the countrymen to accept the PDP’s practical roadmap for restoring lasting peace in the Jammu and Kashmir. The PDP’s roadmap is viable, credible and can give a pragmatic solution for addressing international and external dimensions of Kashmir problem”, he added.
Mufti further claimed that the PDP’s peace and reconciliatory policies were appreciated and endorsed by the successive Governments in New Delhi. The PDP has shown in the past that it can facilitate the resolution process with prudence and it is ready to shoulder responsibility of taking the process to its logical conclusion. He reminded the gathering that it was due to the efforts of the PDP that today border people are living in peace.
The PDP patron pointed out that in 2002 the party had just 16 legislators but still we had pursued the peace process with determination and commitment and established peace in the region. “It was all due to the credibility of PDP that previous NDA regime headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee and present UPA Governmenmt led by Dr Manmohan Singh had whole heartedly supported whatever, initiatives taken by us for restoring peace in this region”, he said while recalling the historic rally of the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at Srinagar on April 18, 2003, when he had extended hand of friendship towards Pakistan at the time when there was tension along the borders.
While referring to Common Minimum Programme (CMP) which was formed after PDP-Congress had entered into alliance in 2002, Mufti said his party never compromised its pro-peace agenda for power. Whatever steps we had suggested for restoration of peace were incorporated in the CMP. Our party managed to cover its agenda in the CMP and ensure its implementation in coalition. The PDP with its visionary mindset even managed to change the mindset of BJP leaders like L K Adavani. The then Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Adavani Incharge Home Affairs was prepared to hold dialogue with the Hurriyat leaders on PDP initiative.
Mufti said that he was not after power but governance was the serious issue. His party had set an example of good governance by establishing accountability and transparency in the system. PDP-Congress coalition revived people’s faith in the democratic institution. J&K became the first state in the country to set up Accountability Commission. He claimed that removing regional imbalances and creating atmosphere for initiating peace process was remarkable achievement of PDP led coalition.
Several senior leaders including T S Bajwa, Th Balbir Singh, Ved Mahajan, Daman Bhasin, Ch Zulfiqar Ali (MLA), Hussain Ali Wafa, Rafiq Hussain Khan, Fallail Singh, Rashid Malik, Surinder Choudhary and Jagjit Singh Jagga also addressed the gathering.
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