Starting point of talks should be restoration of special status to J&K: Mehbooba Mufti

Reiterating her call for dialogue for resolution of the Kashmir issue, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said Wednesday that the starting point for dialogue and reconciliation has to be the revocation of the decisions taken on August 5, 2019.

“The starting point for reconciliation, for dialogue on Kashmir issue has to be with the restoration of whatever has been taken away from the state,” Mufti said.

When asked to react on the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s dialogue offer in an interview, Mufti said dialogue is the only way forward adding, “I don’t know what he (Shehbaz Sharif) has said”.

“We want the relations between the two countries (India and Pakistan) to improve and that more routes across the border are opened…. And there should be free movement and trade as well. The PDP believes that there is no option but reconciliation and dialogue that (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee ji would often repeat,” the former J&K chief minister said.

Mufti said that special status to J&K was given by the Indian Constitution and the solution to the Kashmir problem lies in the same Constitution. “We believe, the people of Jammu and Kashmir believe, we joined hands with the country (India) on certain issues – that we both believe in democracy,” she said. “We believe that the solution of J&K lies in the Constitution and it is the Constitution that gave us the special status”.

On August 5, Article 370 was revoked by the Centre and the state was divided into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

A day after Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif’s call for dialogue, the separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference also called for dialogue for resolution of the Kashmir issue. “Both the governments of India and Pakistan should come to the dialogue table and resolve the Kashmir conflict and give real peace a chance in the subcontinent,” Hurriyat led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Wednesday. “Once this issue is resolved, the mistrust and insecurities that both countries have will cease and people of Jammu and Kashmir will also be spared of the incessant assault on their identity and freedom,” it said.