Mehbooba Mufti bats for talks, calls for peace in violence-hit Kashmir
After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Mufti called for reviving the reconciliation and resolution process which was initiated by then NDA Government headed by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 2002 and 2005.
“We shall have to pick up the threads from where we left in 2005 and revive the reconciliation and resolution process with fresh resolve,” she said and added that the present Prime Minister has the mandate to take bold political initiatives on Kashmir as was done by Vajpayee.
Replying on dialogues process between the Centre and the Hurriyat leaders, Chief Minister outlined a three-pronged action plan before the Prime Minister for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, including involvement of separatists and Pakistan in substantive dialogue, to work out a solution to the problem in light of the contemporary geo-political realities.
Expressing anguish over the continued violence and killings, the Chief Minister sought involvement of all the stakeholders for resolution of the issues and improving situation in Kashmir.
She said the focus of the State government; Government of India and all other parties in the country are to reach out to the majority of the peace-loving stakeholders in Kashmir.
Mehbooba stated that an ‘All Party Delegation’ will be visiting the state soon to reach-out to the people “and I hope they will meet different shades of political opinion to elicit their views on how to find a way out of the present imbroglio.”
Urging Pakistan to reciprocate with open mind and in good faith to the peace initiatives for the permanent settlement of the issues, Mehbooba said unfortunately Islamabad lost out on an opportunity for reconciliation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Lahore in December last and when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Islamabad recently for the SAARC ministerial meeting.
“Pakistan also has to take a step forward in the interest of peace and stability in the region,” she said.
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
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