Mehbooba Mufti to PM Modi: Revive Atal dialogue, heal J&K’s wounds

Emerging from a lengthy meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir could act as a bridge between India and Pakistan rather than be a cause for dispute.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi also attended the meeting which lasted nearly two hours.

“During my meeting with Rajnathji, I said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are our own people. If there is some problem, the process of dialogue started during Vajpayee’s time, of winning the hearts of people… we should start that again,” Mehbooba told reporters.

“I hope that Prime Minister Modiji, who has received such a big mandate, takes this situation as a chance, as an opportunity, and apply balm on the wounds of people of Jammu and Kashmir. He should start the dialogue process and take forward the process started by Vajpayeeji,” she said.

“In 2010 also, the situation was bad for two-three months and a lot of people died… 120 people were killed. But after that, nothing happened. Now the situation has been bad again for the past one month,” she said.Many from the security forces and police have also been injured and should be empathised with, Mehbooba said. After one month, there was some improvement in the situation in the state, she said.

Many from the security forces and police have also been injured and should be empathised with, Mehbooba said. After one month, there was some improvement in the situation in the state, she said.

Citing previous cycles of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba said, “This has been going on, sometimes after, sometimes after two years. In 2008, 60-70 people died… ek mahine tak wahan hulla gulla chalta raha, 2010 mein teen mahine chalta raha… 120-122 died over three months. And 55 people have died over the past one month. They are our own children, our own people.”“If by dialogue, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir can improve, our children can go to school, and a good environment can be created, it should be started. Jammu and Kashmir can act as a bridge between India and Pakistan, instead of a reason for dispute. We want peace in Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

“If by dialogue, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir can improve, our children can go to school, and a good environment can be created, it should be started. Jammu and Kashmir can act as a bridge between India and Pakistan, instead of a reason for dispute. We want peace in Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

An official release issued in Jammu quoted Mehbooba as saying: “While problems confronting Jammu and Kashmir can be tackled through short-term economic and developmental initiatives, there has to be a political solution, which can be reached by involving all stakeholders in a constructive and result-oriented dialogue process.”

She said there has been mounting cynicism in Kashmir over a period of time since every confidence-building process initiated in the past was never followed up with sincerity of purpose.“I hope the current situation, unlike the past, could be used as an opportunity to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir through tangible confidence-building initiatives and provide the much-needed healing touch to them to tide over the trust-deficit,” she said.

“I hope the current situation, unlike the past, could be used as an opportunity to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir through tangible confidence-building initiatives and provide the much-needed healing touch to them to tide over the trust-deficit,” she said.