Azad lauds Mirwaiz's call to end armed struggle

Arnia, Indo-Pak International Border, Jan 21 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today lavished praise on moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for appealing to militants to end the armed struggle in the state during his visit to Pakistan.

Addressing a public rally at zero line of Arnia border in R S Pura sector, the Chief Minister hailed the Hurriyat leader for advocating peace as the key to prosperity and development of the state.

''It is heartening to note that the importance of prosperity and development has been realized by all,'' he said.

Mr Azad said ever since the UPA government assumed office at the Centre, both UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh played a vital role in ushering in normalcy in the troubled state by taking several peace initiatives.

The situation on the borders has become much ''calm'' and the borders have now become ''points of friendship,'' he added.

The Chief Minister lashed out at those parties who lacked vision, principles and ethics and believed in exploiting sentiments of the people in the name of religion.

He said the people of the state irrespective of their religion were living together in a cordial environment and no force would be allowed at any cost to divide them on the grounds of region, religion, caste or creed.

''Since 1947, the people of these border areas of the state have lived in an atmosphere of war and each inch of the soil is soaked with blood. The cannons and the guns on the both sides have polluted the total atmosphere with roaring bullets and blasts,'' he said.

Mr Azad said the two-decade-long militancy had brought a bad name to the state, tarnishing its image not only nationally but also internationally.

''Two decades before, the state was ahead of many states in the country in all fields but militancy has deprived the state ...at present we are lagging behind all other states,'' he noted.

He said though NRIs and big business groups were investing billions of dollars in other parts of the country, ''nobody dares to invest a single penny in the state due to the situations''.

Mr Azad said it was responsibility of all right thinking people to work with courage for restoration of peace and give a befitting reply to communal and anti-national forces.

Meanwhile, the United Jehad Council (UJC), an amalgam of several militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has rejected outright the Mirwaiz's call.

''The militant leaders are shocked by the baseless and uncalled for statements of the Mirwaiz and his colleagues who are ignorant of the background and realities of the Kashmir issue,'' the Muzaffarabad-based UJC said in a statement.

UNI