Mufti suggests 3rd round-table

With the coalition crisis in Jammu and Kashmir over for the time being, PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed shifted gears

With the coalition crisis in Jammu and Kashmir over for the time being, PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed shifted gears, saying it was time for the Prime Minister to convene the third round-table on the Kashmir issue. He expressed hope that separatist groups like the Hurriyat Conference would also participate in the meeting this time.

He pointed out that the four of the five working groups set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the second round-table last year had completed their task. He also referred to recent positive developments, including the Kargil-Skardu bus service, truck links and continuing Indo-Pak talks, including the Track II process. The joint mechanism against terror was also a step in the right direction, he said.

Maintaining that the present situation provided a 8220;golden opportunity8221; to the people of India to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue, he felt the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions should also be kept in mind. 8220;The biggest failure so far has been that all moves towards a resolution had a Kashmir focus, with nothing for Jammu and Ladakh,8221; the Mufti told reporters here today.

Fresh from a series of meetings with leaders of neighbouring countries, including Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, on the sidelines of the SAARC summit earlier this week, the Mufti also called for turning the state into a free economic zone.

8220;Let Jammu and Kashmir be used to experiment what is being planned under SAARC and SAFTA,8221; he said today. 8220;Why not choose Kashmir for a crafts center for the entire South Asia?8221; he asked. He said he had discussed the idea with the leaders whom he met during the summit.

Besides suggesting that Jammu and Kashmir be used as a 8220;bridge8221;, not only between India and Pakistan but also between Central Asia and South Asia, the Mufti argued that the state should be made a hub of inter-regional trade.

He is also pushing for greater people-to-people contacts and trouble-free travel across the Line of Control.

PDP on a different note

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PDP on Friday emerged with a clearer picture of what it expects when it talks of a gradual withdrawal of security forces. 8220;Armed forces should be removed from urban centres and sent to the barracks after a proper assessment of the security situation,8221; Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said. Pointing out that infiltration was low at the moment, he cited the army8217;s own assessment that the level had gone down to zero compared to earlier years. But with no timeframe assigned to the expert panel to look at troop deployment and the committee to review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the PDP seems to be prepared to wait for a while, perhaps till after the UP elections, for things to take a concrete shape.

Asked if the coalition would now last the full term, he pointed out that there was only one-and-a-half years to go.

8220;These things happen in a coalition,8221; he said, when asked about problems with the Congress.