Time to go beyond CMBs: PDP to India and Pakistan

Srinagar, Sep 29 (UNI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today urged the Indian and Pakistan government to make the resolution of the Kashmir problem a top priority and said the vexed issue could only be resolved through political solution, acceptable to all.

Addressing a day long meeting of party workers from district Srinagar, He demanded that India and Pakistan should go beyond the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to resolve the vexed Kashmir problem.

Mr Sayeed welcomed the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in UN General Assembly session at New York, which said,'' India is committed to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir through peaceful dialogue.'' The statement sent a positive signal, especially in the wake of recent unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Sayeed said, adding that the Kashmir problem could only be resolved through a political solution acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of both parts of Kashmir.

Mr Sayeed, the patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Dr Singh's statement gained much significance as he chose to reiterate the solemn commitment of the country at an important world forum.

The PDP patron said given the fresh agreement that reached between India and Pakistan on Cross-LoC trade exchange, his party hoped for an early opening of other trade routes especially the Jammu-Sialokote via Suchetgarh road which was a must for the industrial growth in this region.

He said there was also an urgency to open other routes like Kargil- Askardu and Bandipora-Gilgit roads after the trade commenced on Poonch-Rawlakote and Srinagar Muzzaffarabad routes.

''The people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides have been craving for an end to isolation through economic independence and opening up of these routes is a natural choice,'' Mr Sayeed observed, He said once all the routes across the border were opened the state would serve as a nerve center for the free trade with a potential to become a free economic zone in the sub continent.

Given the commitment of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Mr Sayeed hoped for an early end to the problems faced by the people of the State.

He urged the leadership of India and Pakistan to make the resolution of the Kashmir problem a top priority and take bold initiatives in this regard.

UNI BAS GT BST1726