By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said that his party is not only striving for the political and economic empowerment of various regions and sub-regions of the State, but is also putting in place a comprehensive plan of action for the welfare of all the segments of the society.
Addressing a gathering of ex-servicemen, who joined the PDP, at a function here today, Sayeed said the State can be prosperous only when its citizens, irrespective of age and gender, have a secure, stable and productive future. “The key to the State’s prosperity lies in the economic well-being of its citizens,” he said and added that the dark era of political instability, economic deprivation, inter-regional incongruities and intra-societal discrepancies in Jammu & Kashmir is going to end soon and the State would enter into a new era of political stability and economic prosperity in the emerging sub-continental paradigm of Indo-Pak amity.
Sayeed said the amount of respect that both the countries have accorded to their commitment to observe a ceasefire along the borders in Jammu & Kashmir has emanated a new ray of hope that complete peace in the State and the region is now more than achievable. “I am confident that with the stabilization of political situation in Pakistan there would be substantial movement forward towards the settlement of the Kashmir issue,” he said and added that the positive and encouraging statements emanating from New Delhi over the prevailing situation in Pakistan is the reiteration of the country’s resolve to keep the things moving in the right direction on the bilateral front.
The PDP Patron expressed the hope that in the emerging scenario of Indo-Pak friendship and cooperation, Jammu & Kashmir would not only find a place of dignity but could become a hub of economic activity given its geostrategic location. “I am sure that the time is not far away when people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would be moving around freely in the region dishing out their intellectual and artistic capabilities,” he said and added it is the will and yearning of the region’s people to work together that would ultimately override all the political barriers.
Sayeed said the Coalition Government’s basic objective has been on the one hand to facilitate political resolution of the State’s problems while on the other it is focused on rebuilding the economic infrastructure in a sustainable manner. The reconstruction of the State’s economy, he said has been designed in a manner that supports smooth transition from the turmoil to peace. “We are now in the process of redefining the objectives of our economic policy to design a strategy for sustainable economic growth and employment generation,” he said that the State is now positioned to promote economic adjustment and address the crucial social sector needs.
The ex-servicemen pledged their support to the PDP, describing it as a party that has set a new roadmap for the State’s prosperity away from the traditional political rhetoric.
PDP leaders Dhaman Bhasin, Shanti Devi, Syed Asghar Ali, Renu Azad, Surjeet Kaur, Baldev Salathia, Ramesh Kaul, R K Bali, Ashok Jogi, Suran Singh, HR Chargotra and K K Sharma were present on the occasion.