Srinagar Jan 4: Welcoming the peace initiative between India and Pakistan launched by leading media houses, The Times of India and Jung-Geo, Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has said this comes as a much needed shot in the arm of forces of sanity.
It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time as hawkish elements in the two countries seemed to have vowed to keep the two nuclear armed neighbours at daggers drawn, he said in a statement here today.
Mufti said it was unfortunate that the largest human mass on the globe that was connected by history, geography, culture, language and religion should be pushed to a never ending zero sum game which has ruined countless lives and deprived many more of economic substance.
 “The civil society of the two countries which shared common ideals of understanding and reconciliation must assert itself to bring about a change in the atmosphere and in lives of our people,” he said.
 Referring to the inevitability of normalization of relations between India and Pakistan, Mufti said their present leadership must respond to the strong urge for peace and friendship which negates the frozen position of establishment that has been calling the shots in utter disregard of realities and aspirations.
 He expressed the hope that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh would display his trademark political will in neutralizing the voices of discord and leading subcontinent back to the peace process that had yielded unprecedented dividends since the historic Vajpayee initiative in 2003.
 Mufti said Pakistan had launched a full scale war on terror and our country needed to extend a helping hand to the peace constituency there to make south Asia more secure. Undue pressure from us could not only increase the existential threat to Pakistan but could bring the great game being played out in and around Afghanistan with its fall out too near to us for our own comfort.
 “It is time for the statesmen in our country to take control of policies in order to realise the vision of a global power with friendly neighbours,” he said and added the knee jerk reactions from establishment went against our growing stature and interests.
 Stressing the need for the civil society in J&K to speak up effectively in support of the initiative taken by the media groups, Mufti said no one has greater stakes in peace than the residents of our state. He said J&K and Indo-Pak friendship cannot be imagined in isolation of each other.
 While any solution to the Kashmir problem has to be anchored in good neighbourly relations of the two countries he said, at the same time friendship between the two is impossible unless J&K is addressed with a view to resolve it.
 Mufti said the peace process started in 2003 had been successful in taking major strides only because it was led by the sentiment for resolution generated within the state and people of the state were on board.
 But, the current disruption in it could revive cynicism and alienation among our people which could take decades to repair he cautioned, urging the prime minister to lead from the front at this crucial juncture when people of the subcontinent were sending strong messages of peace to their governments.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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