Global attention inevitable till final settlement: Ex CM of J&K

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said the Kashmir issue would continue to attract the global attention till its final settlement.

Commenting on the recent expression of views by some world leaders including US and UK on Kashmir and south Asian region, Sayeed in a statement issued here today said although the Kashmir issue is to be ultimately resolved by India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu & Kashmir, it would continue to attract global attention till then. "Comments on Kashmir and the need for its resolution are inevitable in view of the geopolitical conditions of the region," he said and added that instead of ruffling feathers such comments must serve as a reminder for the inevitability of an amicable settlement for the issue. "The region’s destabilitized conditions demand that all flash points including Kashmir are neutralized," he said.

Sayeed said the new president of the United States Barack Obama had apparently begun well by ordering the closure of the infamous Guatanamo Bay prison. "Obama’s intentions of reaching out to the Muslim world with a message of tolerance and reconciliation could augur well for all the regions of instability as they are marked by unresolved political issues that have generated violence, injustice and human misery for decades," he said.

PDP Patron said Jammu and Kashmir had shown a way out of trouble in the last six years. The recent elections showed yet again that even though matters of daily existence were very important but the situation could not be isolated from political issues. "My party will continue to spearhead the movement for peace, progress and resolution of Kashmir problem through all the democratic forums of the country", he declared.

Mufti said terrorism and Kashmir couldn’t hold each other to ransom. "The chicken and egg debate over whether Kashmir should be resolved first or terrorism tackled is futile", he said and cautioned that both were a reality that couldn’t be ignored. The governments of the two countries must move fast on the issue, otherwise the faith reposed by the people of the State in democratic process could once again give room to despair and consequent trouble.

Mufti said India and Pakistan have to be part of the global detent that is now talked about in the wake of Obama presidency. This however would remain unachievable unless the grievances of our people are addressed.

Wishing the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery, Mufti hoped the recommendations made by various groups constituted by him on Kashmir would be implemented soon. "If these recommendations are not pushed forward with speed, even the mainstream parties that had acquired respectability and credibility in recent years could find themselves in a confrontational mode", he apprehended.