Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Aug 25: Former Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today called for de-escalation of tension along the Line of Control (LoC) and urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to hold meeting with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of forthcoming UN meet in Washington.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Mufti described the situation along the LoC as alarming. He said that situation highlights need for a permanent resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue rather than giving in to war rhetoric.
He said the Union Government cannot overlook the misery, pain and dislocation that the people of the State have to bear every time peace is shattered along the LoC.
Mufti said that Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif won a decisive mandate on promise of reconciliation with India. He said that it should work as a historic new element in Indo-Pak relations which should not be allowed to derail by isolated incidents howsoever provocative they might appear.
Mufti said that rising tensions along the LoC and on the International Border with Pakistan have caused a deep worry in the State. “From Kargil to Kathua there have been incidents of serious nature threatening the decade long ceasefire between the two countries which have rarely seen such a long thaw in the relations”, he added.
The former Chief Minister said that the ceasefire had in the past survived even grave provocations like the Mumbai attack but it now looks like falling apart under the impact of unfortunate killings and the attendant rhetoric unleashed by some hawkish elements.
The PDP patron said that there are reports of dislocation of civilian population from some forward areas especially in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
“People along the LoC and the International Border had heaved a sigh of relief ever since the historic Vajpayee initiative from Srinagar in 2003 of extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan. The residents had for the first time since independence experienced calm and peace and a semblance of stability had returned to their lives. But the feeling of dislocation and fear has returned to haunt them”, said Mufti.
The former Chief Minister said that reopening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was a landmark decision that broke frozen mindsets on the possibilities of cooperation along LoC and had started neutralizing the feeling of siege which had gripped the State after independence. “That was followed up with Poonch -Rawalkote route and the appointment of Special Working Groups (SWG) which made some important recommendations but remain unimplemented”, he added.
The PDP patron said that the killing of jawans on the LoC is outrightly condemnable. “But should that be a reason for risking more lives and destruction or finding a way to a more durable peace?”, he asked.
“We have witnessed a major conflict in Kargil in 1999 taking a heavy toll of life and costing what it takes to fight a formal modern war. But the statesmanship displayed in its wake is a glorious part of our history. It was followed up with dialogue as everyone could realize the futility of continuing with hostility. What will we achieve by a fresh bout of destruction?”, Mufti asked.
“Similarly, the attack on Parliament generated understandable outrage and disgust resulting in amassing of troops along the borders from Kashmir to Rajasthan. But de escalation was inescapable and it came with the historic visit by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to Kashmir. It was the urge for peace and reconciliation that Vajpayee saw among the thousands of his audience in Srinagar that he responded to with a magnanimous offer of friendship to Pakistan and unfolding of the agenda of Humanity for dealing with the internal dimension of Kashmir problem. It is clear that war is no option to resolve issues. War in fact is a problem that has to be resolved through dialogue. Hostility between neighbors cannot be permanent but peace must be”, PDP patron said.
Mufti said that Pakistan has been able to make a paradigm shift in its internal politics and relating its positivity with their relations with our country. “Nawaz Sharif won elections with a decisive majority on the promise of peace with India. It was for the first time that elections in that country were fought on the issue of peace rather than war with India. And all the three major players, besides Nawaz Sharif had a consensus on this crucial aspect. Should we overlook this exciting development and the immense opportunities of peace and growth it offers we will be failing our people, denying them a more secure future and perhaps missing a historic moment”, he asked.
The PDP patron said: “It is not that the people of our country have not invested in peace with Pakistan. They have in a large measure, whether it is about resuming sporting or intellectual activities, opening borders and systems for trade or showing more maturity in world forums which in the past used to be marred by bickering between the two nations. The Prime Ministers, Dr Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif have personally invested a great deal in peace and it will be a great tragedy if with them at the helm of affairs and presiding over the fates of one fifth of human mass they fail to tap the potential and urge for reconciliation.”
Mufti hoped that the two leaders overcome the difficulties created by hawkish elements in both countries. He urged Dr Singh to go ahead with the possible talks with his Pakistani counterpart in Washington during the upcoming UN meet. “This meeting should be about averting an armed conflict and carrying forward the peace process built with tremendous contributions by both. And this meeting must be about restoring confidence between two sides so that threads on Kashmir are picked up again for a permanent settlement. Let Washington meeting be a new milestone in statesmanship”, he added.
“War rooms, strategy meets or media centers have a role that unfortunately does not always take human misery into account while planning their actions or recommendations. Nobody knows better than the people of this State that became a hostage to hostility between India and Pakistan while rest of the world around us gained independence. We want to convey to the leadership at the national level that people of Jammu and Kashmir are against war as it is they who have been suffering its fall out. We want peace and redoubled efforts to secure it on a permanent basis. We want our aspirations, pain and problems configured into any future strategy as State is impacted more than any other State in the country. While shaping a response to the emerging situation State’s concerns should not be overlooked”, said Mufti.
The PDP patron expressed his concern over BJP rhetoric and jingoism. “They are doing no service to the great legacy their own leader Atal Behari Vajpayee has established. In pursuit of votes and power no party should seek to throw the country into another war. They must realize that there is a much larger constituency for peace that will never fall to jingoism. We have much worse enemies than the perceived ones, like the mounting economic problems and poverty that has driven us to extend food subsidy to two thirds of our population. Let the BJP have some regard for Vajpayee ji and help in saving his great contribution to peace in South Asia to use that as the foundation for resolving Jammu and Kashmir and sorting it out with Pakistan through dialogue and reconciliation”, he added.
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