Former union minister and senior Congress leader Saif ud din Soz Thursday said that the struggle of the people of Kashmir was not for statehood but for the restoration of the special status enshrined under now abrogated Article 370 of the constitution of India.
A statement of Soz issued here said, “I want to reiterate my position on the prevailing political situation in Kashmir. What I had said earlier was that while any mainstream political party is entitled to withdraw from the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and promote their party, the alliance could serve the best purpose if all mainstream political parties were to support it as a common cause and purpose.”
The statement quoted Soz as saying that at the present juncture when New Delhi was doing everything to alienate the people of Kashmir, the togetherness of the Kashmir’s mainstream political parties was a positive development and a welcome measure.
“In my opinion, there is no conflict of interests among the Kashmir’s mainstream political parties and the Kashmiri political class seems to be conscious of the fact that what really matters at this critical juncture in Jammu and Kashmir is the togetherness of Kashmir’s mainstream political parties,” he said in the statement. “The writing on the wall is clear. While the mainstream political parties can maintain their individuality, they should determine and maintain their togetherness for the greater cause and a common goal.”
Soz said that certain people were creating confusion among the masses by supporting the restoration of statehood.
“These people are deliberately diverting the attention of the people of Kashmir from their struggle for the restoration of J&K’s special status enshrined under now abrogated Article 370 of the constitution of India. The people of Kashmir know that they have a cause and cause needs the struggle,” he said in the statement. “In a people’s life, it is the struggle that matters and people of Kashmir are conscious of this aspect of politics.”