Sheikh Imran Bashir, Agence India Press,
Srinagar : The Peoples Democratic Party leaders have said the unification of Jammu and Kashmir on economic, cultural, social and environmental front, as envisaged in self-rule formula, is the need of hour for bringing peace and tranquility to this region.
A District Working Committee convention of the Party was held today at Budgam, which was addressed by Dilawar Mir, MLA Javed Mustafa Mir, Aga Sayed Mehmood, MLA Dr Muhammad Shafi, Abdul Rashid Qabuli and District president Saif-ud-Din Bhat
In a joint statement, after the convention, the party leaders said the economic distress faced by the people cannot be stemmed unless the resources were fully restored. They said the state was losing an estimated revenue of Rs 6000 crores annually as a result of the unfair exploitation of our water resources which is much more than we would need to take care of our development needs, and added that no one here would remain unemployed if we had the freedom and facilitation to harness our resources.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir, they said, have invested too much in the peace process and it was obligatory upon the leadership of India and Pakistan to honour the sentiments and feelings of general masses of the state by addressing the basic issues including Kashmir.
Referring to the Sharm-Al-Sheikh joint declaration by India and Pakistan, the PDP leaders said that it had not only disappointed the people of State but has even given a clear impression that the both the countries have pushed the dialogue process in cold storage.
Expressing concern at the omission of J&K from the declaration, they asserted that the stand taken by the two countries represents an inadequate response to South Asia’s festering problems that have adversely affected all aspects of life in the region, especially Jammu and Kashmir.
The people of the state, the statement said, were disappointed to see the dialogue process initiated to find a considerable, lasting and meaningful solution to Kashmir issue, getting derailed as a result of a skewed policy frame work pursued at the talks.
Fighting terrorism together, they said, was not the only aspect of Indo Pak relations which the two sides have agreed, the statement said adding, “A composite dialogue between the two sides on both internal and external dimensions of Kashmir issue and other issues confronting the two neighboring countries is must so as to usher an era of understanding and reconciliation.