Urges separatists, pro-India leaders to help end unrest
The CPI (M) State secretary and MLA Kulgam, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami today asked Indian and Pakistani leadership to respect the 2003 truce and stop sacrificing the innocent people on both sides of the border for narrow political domestic considerations.
Addressing a press conference here, Tarigami said the political leadership of both the countries should come out of their narrow cocoons. “Neither war hysteria nor jingoism can serve the interest of the region as a whole. De-escalating tensions and replacing heated rhetoric with a productive discourse is the demand of the day. The present crisis in Kashmir has assumed tragic dimensions and the sufferings of the common people are likely to get worse in future. Any government cannot afford to sit on the wall and transfer its responsibilities to police and forces,” he said.
Tarigami said the first and foremost thing, the government should and could do is to recognise the political essence of the ongoing unrest and explore all possible ways and means to initiate a credible process to resolve it without any further dilly-dallying.
“At this point of time, there may not be any out of box solution too; but the sincere and sustained dialogue could open new vistas and it is quite possible that the parties may reach to a mutually acceptable way forward or resolve to work it out in a peaceful atmosphere,” he added.
“Dialogue alone is the way out and any meaningful engagement among the stakeholders should be unconditional. It is also imperative for the government to create a congenial atmosphere for the dialogue and this involves an end to all repressive measures and dealing with the protesting youth with utmost restraint,” he said.
He said both the pro-India and pro-freedom political platforms need to come forward and play a constructive role, at least in alleviating the sufferings of the helpless masses.
Tarigami said the continued closure of schools and destruction of infrastructure can only benefit those vested interests who want to disarm our youth from shaping their future.
(PTK)