'India, Pak must settle Wullar Barrage issue'

Srinagar, Aug 25: Stressing the need for amicably settling the Wullar Barrage issue between India and Pakistan, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti today said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were being made to 'pay' for the hostility in the subcontinent.

''New Delhi and Islamabad must realise that Indus Water Treaty was the most serious hurdle in the state's economic emancipation. And within the given parameters of the treaty, Jammu and Kashmir must atleast get its due share of water resources for its own use,'' she said.

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Welcoming the upcoming meeting of a Working Group (WG) on Center-State relations, Ms Mufti said the WG meetings would not prove fruitful and result oriented until their recommendations were not implemented in letter and spirit.

''If there is no movement towards the implementation of the recommendations, the people of the state would lose faith in the whole process'', she said adding that till the recommendations of the WG on Center-State relations are finalised, the government must work on the implementation of the recommendations already finalised by four other WGs on economic development, confidence building measures, rehabilitation of the victims of the violence and good governance.

Ms Mufti has also called for operationalising a set of comprehensive political, economic and social initiatives in the state to resolve the problem and end the uncertainties impeding the growth.

Addressing a day-long convention of the party workers here today, she said PDP was pursuing a multi-pronged agenda for political empowerment, economic well-being and social upliftment of the state and its people.

She said given its rich water and mineral resources, scenic beauty, handicrafts and horticulture products, the state has the potential of becoming an economically vibrant area if its geographical isolation is ended. It has been accorded the status of a free-trade zone under the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

Ms Mufti said once the problems of the state were resolved and it regains the much-needed political stability, Jammu and Kashmir would become one of the desired destinations for tourists, as it has immense tourist potential areas.

She said harnessing the virgin tourist spots would not only offer variety to the tourists, but also boost the local economy by generating employment and revenue earning opportunities.

UNI