Mehbooba for Vajpayee's line to end Kashmir unrest

Strongly advocating the Vajpayee line on Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has moral authority and vision to take bold decision and take forward the process initiated by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee nearly one-a-half decade ago.

Speaking at the third Counter-Terrorism Conference (CTC), organised by India Foundation here, Mehbooba Mufti said there should be an honourable way out of the present situation in Kashmir where youngsters had stones in their hands and were targeted by guns and pellets. "It cannot go on like this, we have to talk to them. They are part of India and Kashmir is the jewel in the crown of India,'' she said.

Recalling the Vajpayee era, she said that it was during that time that Pakistan also promised to go for talks, to put an end to infiltration and was not going to use its soil for activities of groups against India.

"I need everybody's help...only good governance is not going to help. When there was unrest, schools were burnt down. If there are confidence building measures and political process is in place, it gives us a window of opportunity to build upon the constituency of peace and the space for terrorists gets shrunk,'' she said in presence of J&K Governor N N Vohra who had earlier played a key role as interlocutor during the Vajpayee rule at the Centre.

Mehbooba Mufti, daughter of former Union Home Minister and former State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee understood the pain of conflict and addressed both external and internal dimensions of J&K and took many steps like Lahore Bus trip and Agra summit despite setbacks like Kargil and Parliament terror attack.

"Vajpayeeji extended the hand of friendship from the soil of Srinagar which helped in establishing ceasefire and starting the dialogue process. He was the first Prime Minister who ensured free and fair elections in the State. He understood that neighbours cannot be changed and geography cannot be altered and it was better to have cordial and decent relationship with the neighbours,'' she said.

The J&K Chief Minister said that even the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister L K Advani took the initiative of holding talks but it came to standstill after that and many misconceptions on the other side bogged down the situation. "Let me tell you that a majority of Pakistani people are not against India and Kashmiri people. Establishments on both sides are in fighting mode,'' she added.

She said that agenda of alliance with BJP in J&K was working fine and it was a vision of her father who was a mainstream politician and a great believer of Indian democracy. "Our party first had a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) with the Congress and now agenda for alliance with the BJP,'' she said.

On the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), she said that it can be withdrawn when situation improves and the impact can be assessed.