Srinagar, June 30: Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed today said it was because of the sacrifices of youth and peaceful assertion of their rights that New Delhi and Islamabad had felt inspired to revive the stalled dialogue on Kashmir. Addressing a public meeting in Khansahib, 30 kilometres from here, he cautioned against mistaking the yearning for peace in the state as a compromise on the democratic right of people to demand a lasting resolution of J&K issue. Newly elected Panchayat members of Khan Sahib Constituency attended

the meeting.
 He said if there is a shift in the stances on Kashmir that lead to resumption of dialogue it was because of the sacrifices constantly offered by youth and especially those during last year’s turmoil. It has convinced many policy planners of the futility of trying to push the problem under carpet in the hope of it vanishing without resolving it, he added.
 Mufti welcomed the resumption of talks on Kashmir and other issues between India and Pakistan and said this however needs to be taken to logical conclusion through solid action on actual resolution. “Unless that is done, peace in Kashmir will remain fragile and the surface calm would only be deceptive and vulnerable to breach,” he said.
 Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks on Kashmir situation at his press meet yesterday, Mufti said the government of India must look beyond seasonal management of Kashmir and introduce wide ranging action on the internal dimension of the problem. Stressing that internal and external dimensions have to be addressed simultaneously he said there was a need for shunning the compartmentalized approach as internal mistrust, underdeveloped democratic space, development deficit and governance crisis loomed large over the state.
 These issues could not wait till we arrive at an agreement with Pakistan, he said underlining the urgency of full restoration of civil liberties in Kashmir. Mufti said it is the people of a place who ensure security and the state has only to provide the right environment for their involvement. “J&K is no exception to that rule and every time the state showed signs of accommodation the people did not lag behind in responding to such measures,” he said and regretted that the present dispensation had abandoned its duty on political and governance fronts. “They have left everything to police and security agencies, with obvious results that are disastrous for the people”, he said.
 Referring to continued imprisonment of political leaders and youth, Mufti said peace cannot be enforced through denial of liberties. He said the drama around the conditional release and reported re-arrest of Qazi Yaser of Islamabad was symbolic of the attitude and arrogance of the government. “How could a government be so heartless and claim to be democratic?” he wondered while expressing his anguish at the pain of the young Qazi’s loss who had earlier suffered the trauma of his father’s assassination. The government is not allowing prisoners even to see their loved ones on death bed and then trying to make a Tamasha of some small mercies which remain confined to mere announcements in monarchical ‘hukm e nawab taa dar e nawab’ style, Mufti added.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST