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| PDP asks parties to shun Kashmir issue from poll rhetoric | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 17-Hardening of stances and putting pre-conditions to the revival of Indo-Pak peace process were fraught with dangers for the South Asian region said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in response to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s repeated assertion that he would not resume the dialogue with Pakistan unless that country convinced us of its commitment to eradication of terror. Mufti said the stance was not in line with the statesmanship shown by him and Atal Behari Vajpayee in initiating the process. “The peace process would not have seen light of the day in the wake of attack on Parliament and concentration of troops along the border if Vajpayee had not taken the historic Srinagar April 2003 initiative in response to the urge for peace he witnessed in Kashmir”, he said and added that after taking over as the Prime Minister of the country in 2004, Dr Manmohan Singh had carried forward the process with the same zeal.
Mufti said while it was a fact that the Mumbai attacks had caused an understandable setback to the peace efforts, the challenge lay in bringing these back on rails. At a time when Pakistan itself was engaged in a grim battle of survival it would serve nobody’s purpose pushing that country into a pressure cooker kind of a situation, he said.
The PDP patron said Kashmir had invested too much in peace prospects and if cynicism takes over again, there always exists the risk of a throw back into pre-2002 chaos. “Whether we like it or not, situation in Pakistan would continue to loom over J&K”, he said and added that stability in that country could only positively contribute to the resolution of Kashmir problem and progress of the region.
Urging the leadership of national parties to keep peace process with Pakistan and resolution of Kashmir issue above electoral rhetoric, Mufti said Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh should lead in this by example. He said Dr Singh had earned considerable credibility on the subject and one would like to see his contribution to history defined by the resolution of issues with Pakistan which would outweigh any thing else that an Indian leader could aspire to achieve.
Mufti said given the urge for peace and resolution among the people of the State, the main stakeholders and their profound rejection of violence, Kashmir was ripe for resolution. He said it is time to seize the opportunity, reach out to Pakistan and help it in standing up to forces of violence and disruption and create the right space and environment for permanent peace in the region.
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