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Centre must go the extra mile: Mufti

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR NOV. 3. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today hoped that the Centre would keep its promise of restoring peace in the State and would go the extra mile to consolidate the gains made after the elections.

The State Cabinet, which held its first meeting here, adopted the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) formulated by the People's Democratic Party and the Congress and decided to hold a brief Assembly session in Jammu from November 21.

After the meeting, the Mufti, addressing his maiden press conference as Chief Minister, said his Government was committed to giving a ``healing touch to the people's sufferings''. Appreciating the fact that the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, had kept his promise of holding fair elections, he said ``we earnestly hope that the assurances made by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to extend full support to our Government would be honoured in letter and in spirit in the national interest''. ``We must place it on record that we do have faith in these assurances.''

``Now we hope that his (Prime Minister's) Government will go the extra mile to consolidate the gains made by the successful completion of the recently-held elections and reward the people of the State for their courage and faith.''

The Mufti reiterated his party's stand of having a dialogue with all sections of the people to end the alienation.

Asked whether his Government considered Kashmir as a dispute, he avoided a direct reply saying that the Centre had accepted it when it said that a part of Kashmir was occupied by Pakistan.

Why was there a Shimla agreement and why a Lahore Declaration, he asked.

But at the same time, the Mufti said the talks with Pakistan was the issue concerning New Delhi. ``We want to have dialogue between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India and I will facilitate that.'' ``First you have to extinguish the internal fire''.

On autonomy, he said ``it will be futile if you fix a limit well before starting a dialogue process''. ``Whatever is evolved at the dialogue should be acceptable.''

The Mufti repeatedly stressed that the security forces should have a ``pro-people image'' to dispel any feeling of alienation.

He would continue with the Unified Headquarters which he would head as the Chief Minister but ``we will make it functional''.

Inspite of his Government's plans to disband the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police, he said the police would continue to act against militants but ``everybody will be made accountable''.

On POTA, he said it would be withdrawn, but the Public Safety Act would continue.

He said his Government would make plans for bringing the Kashmiri Pandits back to the State.

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