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| J&K CM plays quiet role on J&K | | Mufti Sayeed is in PM's Kashmir think-tank | | B L KAK
NEW DELHI, OCT. 12: The cat is out of the bag: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, esprit de corps of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has undertaken a "crucial" assignment aimed at wooing Kashmiri masses with a new settlement formula. Following his unpublished inclusion in the Prime Minister's think-tank on Jammu and Kashmir, the Mufti's significant achievement is the Union government's "indirect" support to his intensifed talk in favour of self-governance mechanism in his homeland.
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has not opposed Mufti Sayeed's new Kashmir settlement formula--that is, self-governance. And the Congress president and chairperson of the ruling UPA (United Progressive Alliance), Sonia Gandhi, too has deemed it necessary to keep Mufti Sayeed and his PDP "active" on the pro-peace process front.
Like Manmohan Singh, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has understood the "compulsions" of Washington on the question of India-Pakistan reconciliation on the Kashmir imbroglio. The Mufti has quietly shared with the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi his plan of action in the United States, to begin with, while selling his new Kashmir settlement formula. The Mufti may later undertake a visit to Pakistan.
It was after quiet interactions, on two occasions recently, between Sonia Gandhi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on certain aspects of the J&K situation that Mufti Sayeed was given audience by the Congress president in New Delhi the other day. In fact, a source close to Sonia Gandhi has now revealed that the meeting between the Congress president and Mufti Sayeed took place at the instance of the "Lady of 10 Janpath" (Sonia).
And if this source were to be believed, Sonia Gandhi raised a few queries as the Mufti apprised her of his assessment or standpoint in relation to self-governance administrative arrangement for the troubled State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Mufti successfully managed to accomplish two political targets--first to engage receptive Sonia Gandhi in a meaningful discussion on the self-governance formula and, secondly, to garner her support for his scheme of things to give a new direction to the ongoing peace process in Jammu and Kashmir.
The present Chief Minister of J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad, is, like Mufti Sayeed, a competent and experienced political strategist. True, since Azad took over from the Mufti in November last year the mantle of Chief Ministership in the restive State, he (Azad) has managed to widen his pockets of influence in Jammu and Kashmir. But he (Azad) will ensure that he followed his leader's (Sonia's) directive, which inter alia is for the continuance of the Congress party's alliance with the PDP. Also, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in touch with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Kashmir's "developing situation", will also ensure that Manmohan Singh's find-a-negotiated-solution effort bears fruit.
On the other hand, Pakistan President, Gen. Parvez Musharraf, has, once again, confirmed that he is in contact with Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, on the Kashmir issue and underscored that their effort was aimed at making headway towards the resolution of the dispute. He was responding to a question during an interaction with the media representatives at an Iftar-dinner hosted in Islamabad on Wednesday by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Asked if any behind-the-scene talk was going on between him and Manmohan Singh on Kashmir, Gen. Musharaf was quoted as saying: “Yes, there is talk on Kashmir.”
“We want to move forward on Kashmir and we are both prepared to step backwards and it means compromise. Everyone should understand,” he said. “Let me assure you that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and I are trying our best to move forward.” Gen. Musharraf expressed the hope that something substantive would be achieved during the Indian leader’s visit to Pakistan.
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