Destiny of South Asia Linked to Indo-Pak Peace: Kashmiri Leader

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, March 1: The pro-Indian Kashmiri woman leader, and chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti has said that the destiny of Kashmir and South Asia is linked to the India-Pakistan peace process.

Interacting with the visiting delegation of the European Union Commission led by Daniele Smadja, , Mehbooba said given its strategic location, Kashmir has a pivotal role in forging a new economic alliance in the region for which resolution of the problem is a fundamental requirement. She, however, said that to make it sustainable, the resolution package has to, simultaneously address both the external and internal complexities of Kashmir issue.

"While the external dimensions of the problem have to be taken care of by India and Pakistan bilaterally, on the internal front, measures have to be taken to ensure political and economic empowerment of the people in all the regions and sub-regions of Kashmir," she said.

Stressing the need for rejuvenating the Indo-Pak peace process, Mehbooba said this human tragedy has dotted the region's destiny for over five decades and the time has come to replace the pain with prosperity. "The pain of Kashmiris has reached a level, where the yearning for peace has gained substantial ground," she said and added that the destiny of not only the people of Kashmir, but the whole region is linked to the peace process.

Mehbooba said the imaginative change in the contours of the present debate on the resolution of the Kashmir issue and the freshness of the approach has made obsolete much of the earlier rhetoric from both the countries. "The challenge before both the countries now is to convert these favorable and refreshing circumstances into a meaningful and peaceful resolution process instead of wasting time on those portions of the maze that they have already visited," she said and added that it is always better to look ahead instead of looking back.

She said the Government of India must move fast on reconciliatory measures including revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and reduction in troops deployed on internal security duties in Kashmir. "Such measures would be an appropriate response to the people's yearning for peace with dignity," he said.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.