It’s small talk on big issue: PDP patron
Srinagar, Sept 5: Discounting senior BJP leader, L K Advani's accusations about Peoples Democratic Party fuelling street protests in the valley as unfortunate, party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Sunday said Advani had chosen to “pick up very small talk on a big issue”.
In a statement issued here, Mufti also called for building consensus across India on addressing Kashmir issue “in a dignified and democratic manner and with sentiments of people taken on board”.
“It is a cruel irony that Advani should have tried to reduce a political, moral and humanitarian challenge into a stone pelting discourse, not trying to grasp the sentiment that his own party stalwarts in the parliament acknowledged,” he said.
“Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj had categorically stated the sentiment to be of Azadi,” Mufti said, adding that the challenge before India is to address that sentiment in a humane, respectful and innovative manner “that our democratic system is fully capable of coming up with”.
He said as an inheritor of Vajpayee legacy and senior most leader Advani should have led the “insaniyat” agenda of the former prime minister to build a consensus on resolution of Kashmir.
“Wading through blood and misery Kashmir has presented an unprecedented opportunity to the country to respond to its problems with a large hearted approach, understanding and boldness. This opportunity needs to be seized in time rather than waiting for the issue to disappear,” he said.
“The fact that there is an avowed disapproval of violence in all political expressions emanating from the state should be respected and genuine and meaningful initiative launched to resolve the issue amicably,” Mufti added said.
To achieve this, he said, a countrywide consensus needs to be built on addressing the issues “in a dignified and democratic manner and sentiments of the people here taken on board”.
Mufti said the political class of India has to respond to the crisis in Kashmir that has been the creation of an exclusive dependence on bureaucratic-security mechanism.
“All major political parties irrespective of partisan considerations need to show solidarity with the most distressed region that has to be part of country's conscience and not just a spot on its political boundaries and a festering humanitarian sore. The country should reach out to the highly civilized people of Kashmir with serious moves to gain their confidence rather than try to seek surrender from them or inflict defeat on them,” Mufti said, adding that ideas have to be met with more innovative ideas to come out of dead ends.
