Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 14: National Conference president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, today said that war is no solution and stressed for talks between India and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue and asked the Centre to initiate a political process.
Abdullah after chairing a meeting of opposition party leaders told reporters: “We are all concerned about peace in Jammu and Kashmir. India and Pakistan should sit on a table and resolve this issue. Through dialogue, our issue will also be resolved. War is not a solution.”
“If we live in peace with neighbours, we will all prosper. If we take the route of confrontation, their development might be hampered but ours will also be affected,” the NC president said while recalling former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech in Kashmir in 2002 that friends can be changed but not neighbours.
The NC leader said that the prevailing situation in the Valley is “dangerous” and stressed that all parties should work together for peace for which a political process has to be initiated. “We are unanimous that the current situation is dangerous. The sooner it is resolved the better it is for the State and the South Asian region”, he said.
“It is a political issue. The Prime Minister has said it needs to be resolved and it is even in the agenda of the ruling party (PDP) to have a dialogue with all stakeholders, including Hurriyat Conference,” Abdullah said. He said for the dialogue process to start, all political prisoners and youth arrested during the current unrest should be set free.
The opposition parties also demanded a commission headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge to probe the deaths and loss of eyesight due to use of pellet guns in Kashmir and find who is responsible.
Abdullah said if the Government was serious about improving the situation in Kashmir, it should stop the security forces from allegedly indulging in vandalisation of homes and harassment of inmates. “The Government should also reconsider its decision to hold annual school examinations (in November). The schools have been closed for three and half months. The examinations should be delayed…It has been done in the past,” he said.
The NC president said that if Kashmir is resolved it will end terrorism. “If we resolve this issue, there will be no terrorism. If the two nations resolve this issue, terrorism will die automatically”, he said.
Abdullah said that the opposition parties in the meeting also demanded that a special session of the State Assembly be held for discussing the prevailing situation.
“Let the people put forward their views and suggestions in the House. May be we will find some solution,” he said.
Asked if the opposition MLAs should have resigned in view of the Centre not paying heed to their suggestions during their earlier meetings, he said. “That is not a solution. The solution is by fighting, not by resigning.”
Addressing the meeting, JKPCC chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir said the opposition parties in the State should be united in initiating a proactive process of reaching out the people in this situation of uncertainty and suffering.
Mir asked the Centre to realize its responsibilities and address the simmering situation in Kashmir without any further delay. He said that since the Prime Minister had acknowledged that Kashmir is a political issue that requires a process of engagement to find a lasting solution, he should announce the initiation of a credible and meaningful political process without any further delay.
CPI(M) MLA from Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said by staying in the Parliamentary process they can put pressure on the Centre. “We can put pressure on Government of India when we are somewhere in the Parliamentary process and political institutions. We are not here one-time makers of news.
“We are serious citizens of this State and we are concerned about the fate of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Tarigami added.
Chairman Peoples’ Democratic Front (PDF), Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen said the PDP-BJP Alliance has clearly promised in its ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ that it would facilitate a dialogue with all stakeholders irrespective of their political views and ideology and it was hence contradicting its own promises by jailing Hurriyat leaders.
“If they had promised that there would be an engagement with Hurriyat leaders, why have they put them in jails or under house arrest? This is a glaring contradiction,” Hakeem said.
President Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) Ghulam Hassan Mir said it was important for all political parties to find common ground in finding a lasting solution to the political issue and also in resolving the current crisis in the State.
“Unfortunately New Delhi has always shown contempt towards all efforts from political parties and leaders from J&K to seek a resolution of the lingering political issue. We have to realize the gravity of the situation on the ground and work together,” he said.
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