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| PDP launches renewal campaign, asks PM to rekindle peace process | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar Sept 29: Post-assembly election results, after nine months of aggressive politics, backroom reviews and middle level expansion by welcoming into its folds dissidents from many parties, the Peoples Democratic Party today launched its renewed expansion campaign through membership drive even as the party leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed called upon the Prime Minister to lead the efforts in building a national level consensus for resolution of Kashmir issue.
Addressing a meeting of legislators and other party leaders, Mufti said: “While it was necessary for the national leadership to respond to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir in a wholesome manner that will lead to its ultimate resolution”. He pointed out that the political parties in the state too could not evade their responsibility to evolve some kind of an understanding on a possible way out. The self rule was one such pragmatic and achievable proposal that would address both internal and external dimensions of Kashmir problem, he added.
Referring to the positive contribution made by PDP to the emerging political and developmental scenario in the state, Mufti said this party was not an alternative anymore to any other organization. ‘Others will have to struggle to come up to our level of credibility and clarity of agenda to become an alternative to us’ he said and added ‘PDP’s self rule formula was a mission and not a springboard to capture power’. He said in or out of power, self rule remains our commitment and ‘I am hopeful we will achieve this in my lifetime itself’.
Mufti said mindsets about Kashmir have become almost frozen over the decades and Kashmir presents a moral and political challenge to the great Indian democracy. While all parts of the country were benefiting from the fruits of democracy, development and freedom of all kinds, most parts of state were writhing in pain. The Indian democratic experiment, he said, will lack full substance unless Jammu and Kashmir finds its aspirations fulfilled through it.
Earlier, launching the membership drive, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said self rule was a vision of possibilities and not hollow slogans or unachievable dreams. She said the formula provided for revival of the integrity of erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir which has suffered division and fragmentation of its land, resources and road links. She said many people in the state were dissatisfied with the status quo while as many parts of Jammu and Ladakh would be more comfortable with closer links with the centre. Self rule would effectively reconcile all these diversities internally and provide for equitable development to all communities, regions and sub regions.
Responding to the oft repeated question about the difference between autonomy and self rule, Mehbooba said the application of the issues under autonomy would remain restricted only to centre state relations where as self rule provided a larger vision that could neutralize the negative fallout of partition on our state. We have new issues to address like the overbearing presence of armed forces, the draconian laws that empower them with arbitrary powers and the disastrous economic fall out of the exploitation of our water resources by NHPC. Neither does autonomy say anything about the relations between Indian and Pakistan or the scope of virtual reunification of the state as it stood in August 1947.
Speaking on the occasion, senior leader of the party Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari said over the years Kashmir had been reduced to a basket case as everything we had by way of resources had been snatched. He said we have no control over our land, resources, water or even our lives. He said self rule was a formula that would amicably resolve these issues and restore the dignity and self respect of the people of the state which has been severely hurt in the past.
Mohammad Dilawar Mir, general secretary of the party, district presidents of Baramulla and Budgam, Basharat Bukhari and Saifullah Bhat also spoke on the occasion.
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