Democracy in Pakistan can help resolve Kashmir issue: Mufti

JAMMU - Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Saturday hailed the move to strengthen democracy in Pakistan and saw a “silver lining” for the resolution of Kashmir issue in this “turnaround of democratic forces”.

Sayeed, whose party is advocating self-rule for the state and has suggested devolution of powers to regions and sub-regions of the state divided between India and Pakistan, was reacting to the introduction of a law in Pakistan’s parliament to restore the majority of powers from the president to the prime Minister.

Referring to the transfer of powers to the elected prime minister in Pakistan, Sayeed in a statement termed it “one silver lining on the horizon which needs to be capitalised”.

“The new atmosphere of reconciliation and constitutional reform in Pakistan should make it easier, rather than difficult as some hawks in our country believe, to engage with that country,” he said.

“It was futile to push Kashmir resolution to the backburner and hope it would disappear with time. That strategy has not worked in the past and it had no hope of success in future too,” he said.

Sayeed said the state has been passing through very hard times as a result of unresolved status of core issues facing it, and unless the peace process between the two countries, started in 2003, is revitalised, nothing could be achieved to reduce the pains of the people.