Pulwama (Rajpora), Nov 17: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on Saturday said his party has emerged not just as a credible governance alternative but it has been able to change substantially the resolution narrative on Jammu and Kashmir.
 Addressing a public meeting here in south Kashmir he said, “PDP represents a new thought process on resolution of the Kashmir problem, away from hard line rhetoric and emotional approach.”
 Mufti said the arrival of PDP on the political scene had spurred an unprecedented activity marked by pragmatism towards resolution of a problem that had defied a solution for six decades and cost many generations their peace, life and economy. The party instead of following the hawks on either side had developed a new middle of the road theme and roadmap that was anchored in the friendship between India and Pakistan which should provide its own legitimate space to J&K for growth, economic emancipation and unrestricted political rights, he said.
 Mufti recalled that this approach had produced extremely positive results between 2003 and 2005 and set off a process of peace that could by now have matured into resolution if it had been pursued with same vigor and sincerity of purpose.
 Mufti said the resolution has to be related to realities of our times and the lives and interests of the people of state. This had been done with impressive results as the divided state was heading for a virtual unification with the conceding of important fundamental principles on trade and travel between the two parts of erstwhile state.
 He said these principles of exemption from passport and visa regime for travel and custom duty on LOC trade had in fact laid the foundation for a Free Economic Zone which had immense potential for growth for the whole region. He said it was a positive development that the parties which had been talking of bombing Pakistan or launching war with that country to prove their own loyalty too had now come round to the PDP vision of opening up of the state through peaceful and civilized methods and lifting the post partition siege around it.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST