“Peace process a historical necessity for India, Pakistan” : Mufti Sayeed

Jammu, December 20 – Stressing on the need of initiating more confidence building measures to establish lasting peace in this region, the former Chief Minister and patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Saturday said that Mumbai attack is an inhuman act but such heinous incident should not be allowed to derail the peace process. "Peace process is a historical necessity for India and Pakistan", he said and suggested that India and Pakistan have to jointly face the menace of terrorism through joint mechanism. "Instead of indulge in blame game there is need to move forward on the road of peace", he suggested.

Addressing an impressive public meeting at Nagrota in support of party candidate Abdul Rashid Malik, Mufti pointing towards election manifesto of the PDP, he said that his party has presented the Self-Rule document and asserted that proposal presented by his party is the workable and viable solution of the Kashmir problem. He further said that Self-Rule document is prepared by incorporating wishes and aspirations of all sections of the society.

Reiterating PDP commitment to decentralize the power at grass root level, he assured that people that party has formulated a comprehensive plan in its Self-Rule proposal to remove social, economic, political and administration injustice with regions and sub-regions.

Terming the on-going assembly elections as historical opportunity to change fate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Sayeed said his party has revived peoples’ faith in the democracy and democratic institutions. He said that heavy turnout in the six phases of the elections is an indication that peoples of Jammu and Kashmir have endorsed programmes and policies being propagated by the PDP.

"Gone are days when rulers in Delhi used to take decision about fate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. After 2002 election it has become clear that only the people of Jammu and Kashmir would decide about their representatives", he said and cautioned the people against deceitful tactics of NC.

Ridiculing National Conference for spreading wrong notions to mislead the masses, PDP patron said that the way people, braving hostile weather, coming out in large number to exercise their franchise is an approval of the polices being adopted by the PDP. "Before 2002 assembly elections people didn’t have faith in the electoral process", he said and reminded the gathering about his meeting with the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had later made historical announcement from the Red Fort on August 15, 2001 to conduct free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Without naming any political party, Sayeed said, "unlike other political parties we had not demanded any favour from Atal Behari Vajpayee at that time. We had rather suggested him to conduct free and fair elections to revive people’s faith in democracy", he recalled and added that defeat of Omar Abdullah in 2002 assembly elections from Ganderban, which was earlier considered as citadel of NC, was turning point in the democratic history of Jammu and Kashmir as this defeat has revived peoples’ faith in electoral process.