Mehbooba cautions against taking anyunilateral decision on Kashmir issue

Srinagar,February 24 (Scoop News) – Stressing the futility of any isolated or piecemeal decision for the resolution of Kashmir issue, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has called for a holistic view of the this  problem to restore sustainable and lasting peace in this region.

Interacting with the Interlocutors appointed by the Government of India, PDP president reminded that unilateral or bilateral decisions earlier taken by the previous regimes, from time to time, had proved counterproductive so there is need to take comprehensive and holistic view of the whole issue so as to solve this problem once for all. Interlocutors called on Mehbooba Mufti at her residence and held detailed discussion with her on prevailing situation in the State.

Senior PDP leaders Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Moulvi Iftikar Hussain Ansari and party spokesman Naeem Akhtar were also present in the meeting. Ms Mufti emphasized on the need of involving Pakistan in the dialogue process for resolution of Kashmir problem. She said that involvement of Pakistan in the talks is must because without taking neighboring country on board dialogue process would be meaningless.

Further emphasizing on involving all stakeholders in the process of solving this issue, she said that separatists must be engaged in the dialogue process and their views should be addressed. “Separatists are important stakeholders in the process so their engagement in the dialogue process is must to take the process to its logical end”, she observed and further cautioned that any unilateral roadmap would fail to reach a lasting resolution. She said that keeping in view the complexity and diversity of this State, there is need to involve all sections, regions and sub-regions in the process of dialogue to arrive at an acceptable and workable solution.

PDP president demanded that sense of siege that gripped the State of Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of partition should be removed to help this region to regain its past premier position and to harness its inherent potential as a business centre as it was before partition. As the socio-economic growth of the State has been restricted after the partition due to plugging of all routes connecting Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the world, there is need to open all traditional routes through Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh to make it vibrant economy. “We have to rediscover and revive our cultural and logistical channels of growth that have influenced all the three regions of the state for centuries but had become a victim of the politics of partition”, she said.

PDP chief said the natural resources of the state and their present exploitation needed to be revisited. She demanded renegotiation of biased agreements with the various agencies and the State should be allowed to exploit its hydroelectric potential to transfer this region into a greatest economy of the sub-continent. “This could open up new areas of hope and opportunities to youth of the state who are at present facing worst unemployment crisis”, she argued.

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