Mufti asks Delhi to change its glacial mindset on Kashmir

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

State had been a victim of unkept promises all through its history of strife and misery. The promises made by Dr Singh of making the LOC irrelevant or implementing the recommendations of the Working Groups should not meet the same fate as did the earlier pronouncements of his predecessors like Narsimha Rao.

Press Release/Srinagar, July 03: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said the Government of India will have to learn to trust the people of Jammu & Kashmir as an essential pre-requisite for resolution of this festering wound of South Asian region. “Unless the glacial mindset that has been defined by decades of mistrust and suspicion is pierced through with bold political action, no headway would be possible,” he cautioned.

Urging a reorientation of the fundamentals of its approach to Jammu & Kashmir and its bilateral resolution with Pakistan, Mufti in a statement issued here today said Government of India will have to deal with the issue at a much higher level than the straitjacket of a policy, drafted and dictated by officials, would allow it to. Dr Manmohan Singh and the political leadership of the country under him will have to rise to highest level of statesmanship to take Kashmir out of the intractable hole we find ourselves in.

Mufti said the state had been a victim of unkept promises all through its history of strife and misery. The promises made by Dr Singh of making the LOC irrelevant or implementing the recommendations of the Working Groups should not meet the same fate as did the earlier pronouncements of his predecessors like Narsimha Rao. Dr Singh, he said had received a mandate for bold action on Kashmir in recent elections and he would find himself on wrong side of history if the process is delayed.

Mufti said the problem of Kashmir has not to be viewed as a mere security challenge or a matter of territorial integrity alone, either of India or Pakistan, but the two countries must appreciate that they are dealing with the destinies of over ten million people marked by distinct intellectual accomplishments, civilization depth and keen political awareness. Use of force to deal with this problem has long back outlived its utility and it is time that significant, substantial and visible steps are taken to restore the confidence of the people of the state to work towards an amicable resolution.

PDP patron said that the people of Jammu & Kashmir have done all that they could do within the limited democratic space available to them by fully participating in consecutive elections since 2002 and rejecting violence as an option. ‘What more does the country’s leadership demand of them to be able to convince them of their readiness for dialogue, amicable resolution and creation of an atmosphere for development’, he wondered. He said it was the most unfortunate part of Kashmir’s history that New Delhi had not trusted the people of Kashmir as equal and honoured stakeholders in the democratic system of the country. This was as much true in 1953 when the architect of accession, Sheikh Abdullah, was jailed and forced into abject compromises before he could regain access to power after 22 years. It unfortunately continues to be the reality today considering the price that Sheikh’s party is made to pay now for a share in power, and in the process, the masses of the state continue to suffer a wrong deal on all counts, he added.

Describing the demands of the PDP to revoke AFSPA and remove armed forces from civilian areas and internal security duty as the ‘irreducible minimum’ to find a path forward, Mufti said the line dictated by officials and unfortunately towed by the political leadership so far goes against the very spirit of accession. J&K has not acceded to the armed forces of India but to its vibrant democratic system, influences of moderation and economic opportunity, all of which have unfortunately had limited forays into Kashmir.

Referring to the current unrest in the state, Mufti said it was not enough to say that the situation was fragile or dismiss major human tragedies as minor incidents. What is needed, he said, is a bold response to this situation that is fast losing control of the government and the security forces. It is a political problem and needs to be dealt with as such but before total anarchy takes over and no takers are left even for most viable options.

Mufti said it is time that our leadership in Delhi reaches out to Pakistan in its hour of crisis when that country has started a serious engagement with forces of violence that have had the potential of destabilizing the whole region including our country as well. Any message of goodwill from us at this juncture instead of the somewhat condescending attitude from New Delhi could go a long way in building bridges with the people of that country which is fortunately at the moment having a democratic government in place. This, he said, would also be the appropriate time to engage Pakistan on Kashmir before the stands in that country and in ours are again defined by hawkish utterances and hard stances.

Referring to the continued passing on of the state water resources to the centre, Mufti said this presented a grim scenario for the state’s economic future. He said that at a time when the people of the state are engaged in a battle of mere survival against the brute might of armed forces the state government quietly ratified the newest sellout package originally designed during the governor’s rule and cautioned the people of their economic rights which he said should be safeguarded with the same might and public resistance as they are trying to protect their life property and honour with. “Our educated and skilled youth are not destined to be seeking menial jobs while our resources are bartered away by an insensitive and callous system”, he said.