The Hindu : Mufti welcomes offer of talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 29, 2002

Front Page

Front Page

Mufti welcomes offer of talks

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU DEC. 28. Welcoming the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's offer of talks, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today said the State Government would be a party to the talks. Other elected representatives and other sections too would be involved.

Speaking to The Hindu here, the Mufti, in his first reaction to Mr. Advani's announcement, said: "The modalities for such talks will be worked out soon as we have to engage all the people, including those who are elected and also those who do not believe in the State's accession to the Union." But it would take some time to concretise the process.

On the role of the State Government, he said: "Our role is well-defined. The State Government will be a party to the talks as we represent the people. It has its own locus standi." His Government would also work as a facilitator — to get together those interested in the talks.

The Mufti said the announcement was in tune with the Jammu and Kashmir coalition Government's common minimum programme, which, in fact, started with a clause requesting the Centre to initiate a dialogue process. He praised the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's initiatives on Kashmir and said he had kept his promise made from the ramparts of the Red Fort. "The (Jammu and Kashmir) elections were free and fair and the dialogue process is being initiated."

Mr. Vajpayee took some good initiatives in the past but there was no reciprocity and "now we are here to work in that direction to make the atmosphere conducive for that".

On the agenda for talks, the Mufti said "it will be discussed once the process is formally set in motion".

On involving the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, which has set the condition of permission for itself to visit Pakistan, the Chief Minister said "if any political leadership is given the opportunity to talk, I do not think they should spurn it."

The Government was open to a dialogue and was ready to talk to anyone who came forward to do so.

Denying that there was escalation in violence in the State compared to the same period last year, he said there was violence against soft targets such as children and women but, at the same time, people increasingly resented terrorists.

He, however, said that vested interests were playing a role in continuing violence. "And they want to derail the peace process we have initiated," he said referring to the militants and separatists.

"The bullet is no answer and democracy is a battle of ideas. Their approach is to go ahead with this but ours is different," the Mufti said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Epicentre of terrorism has shifted to Pakistan: Advani

Mufti welcomes offer of talks

BJP for more tax concessions for salaried class

Subsidies in higher education ought to go, says PM

Azad heads panel on J&K

U.S. orders major military force to Gulf

Lensman released

Ratan Tata quits posts

Prithvi launch put off again