Srinagar,July 30 (Scoop News) -Peoples Democratic Party was founded on historic day of 28th July in 1999 mainly as a platform for the expression of people’s pain for their highly degraded life and as a mission to restore their self respect, dignity and security. It is a matter of satisfaction that in its short history this party has emerged as the most credible voice of the state. This gathering, with utmost humility, feels privileged to be the part of a party that has, in thirteen years of its existence, transformed the political, developmental and economic agenda of the state under the able, wise and mature leadership of of fti Mohammad Sayeed. We salute the leader and his dedicated associates, workers, sympathizers and all residents of J&K who made it happen.
In its short but hard and eventful journey, the party has received public support for its brief governance record and an agenda that is seen as a practical way to redeem the state from its painful history and from a futile looking struggle for utopian dreams. Resolution of the vexed Jammu and Kashmir problem has, with an evolving discourse on the ills, emerged as a cornerstone of PDP’s agenda. But side by side with it, the party has presented a vision for the restoration of state’s pride, distinct cultural personality and economic emancipation. The fact that this youngest party got largest share of popular votes in the last Assembly elections and its performance in last year’s panchayat elections are strong indicators of its growing appeal among the masses.
This gathering records with deep appreciation the repeated reaffirmation of faith by the people of the state in democratic methods to express their aspirations and for stressing their realization. The overwhelming participation in elections after 2002 should have evoked a matching response to the yearnings of the people who, after decades of denial, had still reposed their faith in democratic institutions and processes. With deep regret, this meeting notes that the response from the establishment has been woefully inadequate. What could have been a great synthesis of democratic culture and values between the people of the state and rest of the country during the last sixty four years has unfortunately been reduced to a relationship of convenience between security establishment and generally lackey administrations in the state that has robbed it of its resources and a say in its own destiny.
The party expresses deep concern at the inability of the state apparatus and security establishment in complementing socio economic bonding between the people of the state with the people of the rest of the country by allowing the growth of democratic institutions in accordance with the will of the people of state which is the essence of the idea of India. It is not just the mis-governance or trust deficit that defines the problems of J&K but more than that a democratic deficit that still marks the thinking of a dominant section of country’s political establishment which refuses to give up its opportunistic attitude towards the will of the people. It is this lack of trust in the people of the state and respect for their political preferences which unfortunately, continues to haunt the state. It is this paranoid thinking that still makes the residents of the state, especially the youth, eternal suspects who are treated with contempt by the instruments of state with a demand to prove their innocence. This meeting cautions against the repetition of such tactics and calls for full restoration of democratic process and institutions as in other parts of democratic world. We also demand that the agencies of the government provide the same space to people of J&K as is offered generally to the people of the country.
PDP having introduced in its manifesto for 2002 elections the revolutionary call for converting J&K into a bridge between India and Pakistan observes, with a sense of accomplishment, the fact that this vision has now evolved as a centerpiece of a South Asian dream and Kashmir resolution. On it will hinge the future of the largest mass of humanity connected together by history, culture, heritage, languages and now increasingly by economy. The party stresses upon the union government to initiate action on various features of the Self Rule vision document which it sees as a practical way forward on resolution of the Kashmir problem.
The historic initiatives taken in 2005 by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was in fact the actualization of this concept which had also been supported by his predecessor Atal Behari Vajpayee’s bold ceasefire and friendship offer to Pakistan from the soil of Kashmir- the chronic bone of contention. The trade and travel across LOC provides the foundation for taking Kashmir resolution to its next level as articulated by Dr Singh in the famous words "making the borders irrelevant". Representing the voice of a majority of the state we call upon the union government and especially the Prime minister to take bold political measures to make that dream a reality. The travel across the LOC in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh regions should be made easy for ordinary people, ultimately enabling them to take the journey at will. It should grow beyond the divided families and its procedures should be simplified. We demand that more routes like the Jhangarh-Mirpur, Tattapani-Kotli, Skardu-Kargil, Turtuk-Khapulu and Badipur-Astore be reopened so that the state can get out of the siege around it following the partition of the country. Frequency of the existing bus services on Muzaffarabad-Srinagar and Poonch-Rawalakote should be increased and trade should be provided with necessary banking and communication backup.
Last but not the least this gathering records its belief that the state is incomplete without the active participation of the Kashmiri Pandit community in its social, political and economic affairs. The party resolves to work for the dignified and respectful return of all those residents of the state who had been displaced from here in very unfortunate circumstances. The party urges the government of India to take note of the humanitarian problems faced by those displaced from their homes in Pak administered Kashmir and provide them a one time compensation.
The PDP once again calls upon the Prime Minister to move forward with his own vision for the state and we are hopeful that in this regard he will find the widest support from all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir and, in fact, the entire country.
This gathering calls upon the Prime Minister to revive the summit level formal contact with Pakistan to carry forward the peace process. To achieve this we recommend that Dr Singh accepts the invitation from President Aif Ali Zardari to visit Pakistan in coming November.
The people of Jammu & Kashmir feel that such a visit could help change the atmosphere of mistrust between the two countries and to wait for spectacular results first would not help the incremental and evolutionary character of peace building efforts.
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