Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 12: PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed today said the resolution of J&K problem constitutes the primary agenda of his party and it was now becoming obivious that the contours of a solution conform to the process which was initiated in 2002. He was addressing a joint meeting of all the legislators, senior leaders, district presidents and some prominent office bearers.
The meeting was called to discuss detailed programme for commemoration of party’s foundation day on 28th July. The meeting was presided over by PDP patron and attended among others by President Mehbooba Mufti, Senior leader Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Tariq Hameed Karra, Naeem Akhtar, Peer Hussain and Aga Syed Mehmood. It was decided to hold the public rally in Srinagar on 28th July in which party workers, sympathizers and general public from all over Kashmir valley would participate. A similar rally will be organized at Jammu on 1st August, dates for rallies in Poonch, Rajouri , Chinab Valley region and Ladakh will be announced latter.
Mufti said that Kashmir problem would not go away unless it is actually resolved. “We have witnessed for the last six and a half decades how the conflict in J&K has been a permanent feature of Indo Pak relations and how badly it has impacted the people of this state. Nothinhg better can happen to this part of the world than reconciliation between India and Pakistan and resolution of J&K would have to be the centre peace of that process”, he added.
He said that there have been periods when it looked that the outstanding issues over Kashmir were not of importance to the people of J&K. It was either because things looked deceptively too rosy as during some patches in the past or at present when maladministration, bad governance and corruption seem to have emerged as a bigger problem taking people’s focus away from it. But, he said the reality undelying the surface calm has the potential of erupting any time and it can not be permanently managed through security and administrative measures.
Mufti said that the PDP which was founded in 1999 with immediate purpose of relieving the people of the state of the pain inflicted by an insensitive system had evolved into a viable forum for resolution.
He urged his party members to create a better awareness about its agenda not only within the state but in rest of the country as well. “We need to educate the people out side the state about the positive nature of our vision for a resolution”, he said. Mufti said nobody can brand us anti national for demanding free access to out side world, reopening of our historic routes, return of the power and water assets or our demand for full restoration of democratic institutions. He said our demand for an elected governor is an idea that would some day emaerge as a model for a true federal system in India. Similarly the state should be assured of full respect for people’s choice of a government and application of Article 356 to J&K needs to be revoked. In order to give the people of this state a better representation in administration and governance the ratio in central services needs to be renegotiated.
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