Rana seeks political roadmap for J&K, cautions delay could make region military flashpoint

Provincial President NC, Devender Singh Rana addressing party functionaries at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan at Jammu on Sunday.
Provincial President NC, Devender Singh Rana addressing party functionaries at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan at Jammu on Sunday.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 14: Highlighting challenging role of National Conference in prevailing volatile and most unfortunate situation in Kashmir valley, Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today urged the Centre to immediately come up with a political road map, acceptable to all stakeholders.
“The Centre must appreciate internal and external dimensions of the issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir”, Rana said while addressing party functionaries at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here, adding that patch-work, jingoism or rhetoric have potential of further vitiating the atmosphere that can make the region flashpoint for military conflict and eventual disaster.
The situation, he said, calls for sagacious and cautious approach, lest the subcontinent will be consumed by military confrontation.
“Sooner the wisdom dawns upon the Centre to work out an acceptable political roadmap better it is for the larger interest of peace, progress and unity of the country as also this sensitive state, which is undergoing history’s most traumatic phase under the anti-people PDP-BJP dispensation”, Rana said.
The Provincial President decried non-challant attitude of the Centre in ending the crisis, asking whether disturbed Kashmir is politically expedient for the BJP to hide its failures. Also, he suspected a hidden agenda in allowing Kashmir to fester in view of upcoming UP elections and referred to his earlier apprehensions about the Valley being made a hate-theatre.
“If the situation is allowed to get drifted and aggravated due to political motivations, the costs could be far heavier for national integration”, he said, wondering as to why painful Kashmir is not a national priority.
He also expressed concern over disturbances engulfing other parts of the State and cautioned the people to remain vigilant against divisive forces, who have vested interest in flaring up passions in Jammu. “Failure in governance can manifest in generating hate and creating wedge between different sections of society”, he feared and asserted that National Conference will not allow such a situation to arise.
National Conference, he said treats Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh as vital limbs of its body physique and if one part gets hurt, the pain is felt by the entire body with same intensity. “This may perhaps not be understood by those making jugglery of words on Ïnsaaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat, which Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah believed all his life, nurtured and practiced, especially during most testing times of history.
The Provincial President said National Conference cannot remain mute spectator to worsening situation and will continue to strive for peace and dignity of the people. He expressed solidarity with all those who suffered during the past over one month and said entire Jammu and Kashmir is feeling the pain of the Valley.
Former Legislators Haji Mohammad Hussain, Qazi Jalal-ud-Din and Bimla Luthra besides, Ch Haroon, Jugal Mahajan, Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, Satwant Kour Dogra, Abdul Gani Teli, Vijay Lochan and Anil Dhar also addressed the meeting.