Resume dialogue with Pakistan, PDP urges government

JAMMU - Jammu and Kashmir’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday asked the central government to resume the dialogue with Pakistan without any delay, saying that would be the only positive response to the yearnings for peace of the people of the state.

In a resolution passed at its central executive committee meeting presided over by party president Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu, the party expressed “deep concern at the continued freeze of peace process in the wake of terrorist atrocities in Mumbai (26/11) and calls upon the government of India to respond positively to the yearnings of peace and conflict resolution in South Asia.”

The party, which has been an advocate of India-Pakistan dialogue, noted with anguish the current exchanges between the two governments that conveyed “the impression of a cold war and feels it could have a negative impact on the situation in and around Jammu and Kashmir”.

“Along with an apparent hardening of postures, the recurrence of ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC) and international border and increased incidence of violent actions within the state, create a recipe for a throwback to pre-2003 situation which needs to be prevented,” the resolution said.

“J&K having been at the receiving end of situations like that is obviously looking at the scenario with an element of strong disapproval,” the resolution read.

The PDP also rededicated itself to the “cause of a permanent resolution of the issue of Jammu & Kashmir”.

It felt that “there is no substitute to a process of structured dialogue that should be insulated against actions of the enemies of peace, individuals or groups. The party feels that the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan should be restarted without delay to respond to the call of history.”

The party viewed with hope and a positive outlook the proposed initiative of the government to address the internal dimension of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir as articulated by the union home minister.

It said that only “an honourable solution that satisfies people residing in all the three regions of the state should be the objective of this exercise and not mere dialogue to lead the participants to yet another dead end that has happened in the past”.

The PDP sought participation of all the major stake holders in the dialogue process which, it said, “should be credible, sublime and result oriented”.