Jammu: Observing that Indo-Pak talks were going on at a snail's pace, the Opposition People's Democratic Party on Sunday said there was need for a sustained dialogue which must focus on Kashmir.
The dialogue process should also be result-oriented to sideline elements inimical to peace, PDP patriarch and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said.
Talks between two countries were going on at a snail's pace, he said adding "there is need for a sustained dialogue which must focus on Kashmir apart from other issues".
The process of reconciliation should be taken to a logical conclusion, Sayeed told civil society at a day-long interaction on "J&K towards tranquility" in Jammu.
"To bring stability in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union government must involve all sections of society, including political parties, in a constructive and meaningful dialogue," he said.
"People are not at fault. It is the state's political leadership which has to be blamed for existing trust deficit between the residents of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country," Sayeed said.
Favouring concrete steps for establishing lasting peace in the region, he said a mechanism should be evolved to eliminate discrimination against any region or sub-region of the state.
"Our aim is to bring people of all regions and sub-regions together, he said.
Throwing light on party's self-rule document, Sayeed said the PDP's vision had potential to address external and internal dimensions of the Kashmir problem.
"In our document, we have suggested making Jammu and Kashmir a free economic zone," he said adding there was a proposal in SAARC to make South Asia a free economic zone on the pattern of European Union.
"Jammu and Kashmir should become a model among SAARC countries," Sayeed said. "My only desire is to make Jammu and Kashmir an island of peace."
Comments
0 comment