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| ‘Self Rule envisages opening up Ladakh to Central Asia, China’ | | | Early Times Report
Leh, Oct 22: Notwithstanding the spate of verbal acrobatics between New Delhi and Beijing, mainly through media, the Peoples Democratic Party today asserted that its self-rule plan envisages opening up of Ladakh to Central Asia and China.
As a part of its public debate on the self-rule, the Peoples Democratic Party leaders including President Mehbooba Mufti and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig today addressed a civil society seminar in Leh where they reiterated the call for opening of all Northern and North-Western routs connecting Jammu and Kashmir to outside world.
The PDP leaders said that plugging of routes to the outside world in the wake of independence and partition has restricted satisfactory socio economic growth of the state.
“The links from Ladakh opening in Central Asia and China would also have to be reopened as part of self-rule vision”, said Muzaffar Hussain Baig.
He said that prior to the independence Ladakh region was an important by-lane of fabled silk route which contributed greatly to the economy of the region. He said these roads leading up to Mansaroar Kashghar, Khotan, Turtuk-Khapnu, Kargil-Skardu and Lasa could be reopened once the atmosphere of understanding and friendship was created for which PDP was striving. Baig said that the people of all the regions of the state would have to add their voice and energies to bring about such a change which could realize the huge economic potential of the state. Throwing light on the self rule proposal, Baig said that it was only viable and permanent resolution of Kashmir issue. The document not only envisages external and internal dimensions of the issue but also discusses in detail about the possible ways for upliftment of socio economic conditions of the state. It is clear that when the state is allowed to become economically self-reliant, all regions and sub-regions would be equally benefited. Asserting that PDP’s endeavor is to change the political discourse of Kashmir, he said that the people of the state can not always depend on New Delhi for having access to the new Global Phenomenon of cooperation for getting its share in economic growth.
President Mehaboba Mufti, addressing the seminar, said that Leh and Kargil have already been established as models of self governance and fulfillment of regional aspirations during the period, PDP was in power. “It was the vision of the then chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed that the financial and political power be devaluated to the people of vast region of Ladakh to enable them to take decisions that would ensure over all development”. She said Peoples Democratic Party envisaged different regions of the state as partners in progress and peace bringing it to home that all regions have their own strength and what is needed at the political level is to create a synergy between them-- reconcile their different points of view and give a push to the agenda of empowerment of every citizen of the state. She said that while the self rule aims at creating internal understanding between the regions, it also calls upon the center government to treat Kashmir as a partner in the democratic system of the country and not as a problem state or a basket case. She said that Kashmir contributes tremendously to the country’s development in the shape of river water, power, tourism and forest extracts.
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