Srinagar, Sept 5: The Peoples Democratic Party Patron, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Sunday said that wading through blood and misery, Kashmir has presented an unprecedented opportunity to India to respond to its problems with a “large-hearted approach, understanding and boldness.”
 In a statement here, Mufti said, “This opportunity needs to be seized in time rather than waiting for the issue to disappear. The fact that there is an avowed disapproval of violence in all political expressions emanating from the state should be respected and genuine and meaningful initiative launched to resolve the issue amicably.”
 To achieve this, Mufti said, a countrywide consensus needs be built on addressing the issues in a dignified and democratic manner, with sentiments of the people taken on board.
 Regretting the observations of the senior BJP leader LK Advani opposing any moves by the government on Kashmir to address the crisis, Mufti said “a more statesmanly attitude was expected of the former deputy prime minister who has dealt with Kashmir at very crucial turning point.”
 Rejecting Advani’s accusations about PDP providing manpower to street protests, Mufti said it was unfortunate he had chosen to pick up very small talk on a big issue that is confronting the moral core of the country. “It was a cruel irony that the successor to Atal Behari Vajpayee and shadow prime minister of largest democracy in the world should have tried to reduce a political, moral and humanitarian challenge into a stone pelting discourse, not trying to grasp the sentiment that his own party stalwarts in the parliament acknowledged in more wholesome and terms. Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj had categorically stated the sentiment to be of Azadi,” Mufti said.
 Mufti reminded Advani and said the challenge before the country is to address that sentiment in a humane, respectful and innovative manner that our democratic system is fully capable of coming up with. “An inheritor of Vajpayee legacy and senior most leader Advani should have led the insaniyat agenda of the former prime minister to build a consensus on resolution of Kashmir that had once shown dramatic results on the internal and external dimensions of the problem. The political class of India has to respond to the crisis in Kashmir that has been the creation of an exclusive dependence on bureaucratic-security mechanism. All major political parties irrespective of partisan considerations need to show solidarity with the most distressed region that has to be part of country’s conscience and not just a spot on its political boundaries and a festering humanitarian sore,” Mufti said, adding the country should reach out to the highly civilized people of Kashmir with serious moves to gain their confidence rather than try to seek surrender from them or inflict defeat on them.
 Mufti reiterated that ideas have to be met with more innovative ideas to come out of dead ends.

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