Bazaz for carrying forward Indo-Pak peace process

Srinagar, July 2 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum (JKDF) today called for renewed efforts to carry forward and consolidate the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan.

The peace process was poised at strategic cross-roads with hawkish rhetoric overtaking the reconciliatory mood, JKDF Chairman Pandit Bhushan Bazaz said in a statement here.

''The India-Pakistan rapprochement process seems to have reached a stalemate and is in danger of being hijacked by deeply entrenched bureaucracy and hardliners on both the sides,'' he added.

Pandit Bazaz called upon the leadership of both the countries to seize the historic moment without giving in to the hawkish rhetoric of the hardliners who want to squander the present opportunity for peace and stability in the region.

''India and Pakistan must exhibit political sagacity at this crucial juncture to prevent a break-down of the peace process and ensure that they do not return to enmity and bitterness of the past,'' he said, adding that an overwhelming public opinion in both countries was in favour of peace and the process to succeed.

Pandit Bazaz said the multi-level and multi-dimensional dialogue India and Pakistan were involved in for the past three years has not only helped the two countries to narrow down their difference on various contentious political issues, including Kashmir, but in discovering common areas for economic growth and development.

He said a step-by-step approach both the countries were heading for peaceful and acceptable ''out-of-box'' solution of the Kashmir issue by softening their stances and any effort to derail the process could have dangerous dimensions for the whole sub-continent.

''Peace and stability could be restored in the region only through a serious and sustained process of dialogue pushed and prodded from the leaders of both the countries,'' the JKDF chief said, adding that for consolidation of the peace process new initiatives were essential and with determined leadership on both sides progress could be achieved toward a peaceful settlement of all the political and economic problems in the region.

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