Srinagar, Dec 27: The Minister for Law and parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Sagar, Sunday asked separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, to join the dialogue process with a view to stopping more graveyards sprouting across Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a public gathering at Kelam in the south Kashmir district of Kulgam, Sagar said that the state had witnessed large scale destruction over the past 20 years and it was time now to assure peace along with economic development.
Pointing towards the separatists, Sagar said, “Numerous graveyards have come up across Jammu and Kashmir over the past 20 years and the state people don’t want to see more of these now.” He urged Syed Ali Shah Geelani and all other separatist leaders to be part of the dialogue process to help restore peace in the state. “It is time to heal the wounds the state people have suffered over the years,” he said.
Sagar said the separatist leaders should join the dialogue process instead of embarking on Pakistan visits. “No purpose will be served by raising emotive slogans,” he said, adding that dialogue was the only way to resolve issues, a fact which is being acknowledged at the international level.
On Justice Sageer report, the law minister said it was another achievement of Omer Abdullah-led government as the Working Group had given green signal to its autonomy report. “It will open a new chapter in the centre-state relations,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Peoples Democratic Party, Sagar said its Self Rule slogan was nothing but utopian and it had turned out to be a hoax. “The party could not even explain its Self Rule concept before the Working Group,” he said.
He urged people to take part in the Panchayat elections so that the process of peace and development were taken to the grassroots levels.
The Minister sanctioned an additional Rs 20 lakh for construction of lanes and drains in the model village which he inaugurated on the occasion and ordered “constitution of an enquiry committee to look into the expenditure of the model village.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 IST