Don't be fence-sitters and miss the bus: Mufti to separatists

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Anantnag, Oct 22: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the separatist groups will ''miss the bus'' if they do not realise the importance of developments taking place both within and outside the state and prefer to ''watch as fence-sitters''.

Addressing a public meeting here, he said it is high time for the separatist groups, including the Hurriyat Conference, to recognise the importance of the developments taking place, both within and outside the state, in the context of the Kashmir issue.

Mr Sayeed, who is also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron, said sensing the public mood they (separatists) must play a participatory role instead of shying away from the dialogue process.

''If they do not realise the importance of these developments and prefer to watch as fence-sitters, I am afraid they will miss the bus,'' he added.

The PDP leader said in his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last evening, he also stressed the need for a fresh initiative to resume the stalled dialogue with the separatist groups to take on board all shades of political opinion in the state for working-out a lasting and peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue.

Hailing the Prime Minister's seriousness and sincerity towards a peaceful solution of Jammu and Kashmir's problems, Mr Sayeed said time has come to consolidate these initiatives by mustering the political will and mobilising public opinion, both within and outside the state.

''Any wrong move or decision by any political group or the party at this crucial juncture would only add fuel to the fire,'' he cautioned and reiterated that the PDP would continue to play a pioneering role in facilitating the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue through its self-rule formula and at no stage shirk away from paying any sacrifice for it.

Mr Sayeed is leaving here for the United States on October 28 to attend the 61st United Nations General Assembly in New York. He held detailed discussion with the Prime Minister over the political scenario of the state and the importance of continuing and consolidating the peace and reconciliation process and returned here from New Delhi this morning.

He said Jammu and Kashmir has a pivotal role to play in shaping the subcontinent's political and economic scenario as it would be a hub of rapid and momentous activity facilitating the region's economic integration with the world.

The region no longer can afford the conflict that has kept its people away from realising the benefits of peace and global economic integration, the former Chief Minister added.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have undergone too much suffering and a great opportunity was now round the corner to rid their lives of the scourge of violence and give them the much-needed peace and prosperity.

''Time has come to put an end to this pestering conflict in the region forever and avert further destruction of life and property in the state. Fortunately, all the sides have now realised that their stated positions on the issue are not realistic and compromises will have to be made to workout a mutually agreeable solution of this intricate problem,'' Mr Sayeed added.

He said no political party or group could afford to keep aloof at this crucial juncture and have to, one way or the other, contribute towards strengthening the peace process that would ultimately lead to peaceful and permanent settlement of the Kashmir issue.

''To make the peace process productive, I have reiterated the need for accelerating implementation of the J&K-specific Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that have so far remained restrictive and symbolic,'' the PDP leader said.

He said the CBMs prioritised by him before Dr Singh for tangible accomplishment include free cross-border movement of people and goods across the state through traditional routes, creation of joint institutional mechanism between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir and giving a chance to the youth who had gone across for arms training and are now eager to return back to live peaceful lives.

Mr Sayeed said he also stressed the need for speeding up execution of central projects including Srinagar-Udhampur railway line and the North-South corridor to provide better connectivity to the state and free its inhabitants from the mentality of siege. Addressing the meeting, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said the Party's policy of healing-touch and winning the hearts and minds of people has withstood the challenges of the time.

She said the PDP-led coalition government ensured that there was general relief to people in the security situation and the security forces actively cooperated with it.

''It is now being widely acknowledged that the PDP's healing touch policy made tremendous positive impact on the ground situation by phenomenally reducing the levels of alienation,'' she added.

Ms Mufti said there was an imperative need to consolidate these gains by taking some bold initiatives with political will.

Reiterating her party's demand for empowering the local police in dealing with the militancy, she said such a step would be an appropriate response to the changing ground situation.

''Unfortunately a deliberate attempt is being made by various quarters to create confusion over the PDP's demand for measured reduction of troops. While some are equating it with the demand for demilitarisation from the borders, others are raising the bogey of individual security concerns,'' the PDP chief added.

She said the PDP has made it clear time and again that the party's demand is only for giving more responsibility to the local police as was done in Punjab.

Regarding the individual security concerns, Ms Mufti said the problem of individual security of politicians is as grave in Jammu and Kashmir as in New Delhi, UP, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh or even Washington. ''Does that mean all these states should be handed-over to the Army,'' she questioned.

Speaking on the occasion, senior party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir said the PDP was constituted with the purpose of giving peace with dignity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

''Whether in or out of the government, the party has been working towards achieving that objective with great sincerity and dedication,'' he said, adding Mr Sayeed has taken upon himself the struggle for ensuring honor and dignity of the state's people.

UNI

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