Congress urges Centre to involve all parties in Kashmir issue

NEW DELHI: The Congress has urged the Centre to come out with a road map for defusing the tense situation in Jammu and Kashmir by engaging both “mainstream and non-mainstream parties” of the state.

The main Opposition party also urged the government, during the all-party meeting on Friday, to resume implementation of the recommendations made by various working groups of experts on J&K formed by the erstwhile UPA regime.

While underlining the need for “confidence-building measures to win over the hearts and minds of the people, especially the worst affected youth, of J&K”, the party assured its support to any “positive steps” the Centre would take towards that and asserted that there could be no compromise with the territorial integrity of India.

Congress’ views were articulated in the meeting by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who made a brief statement; Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha and former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was the main party speaker; and senior leader Karan Singh.

Addressing a press conference later, Azad said: “Manmohan Singhji said (at the meeting) that the most important thing with regards to J&K is to defuse the present situation. He further said, in the 10 years of the UPA rule, we made efforts to find practical and pragmatic solution to these issues and it’s the present government’s duty to come up with road map for defusing the present situation”.

When asked, Azad said the Prime Minister indeed spoke about Pakistan Occupied Kashmir being a part of J&K. Underling the importance of dialogue with the local people, Azad said, “It is important to win the hearts and minds of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

We (UPA regime) spoke to all the various political groups, common people, intellectuals, security personnel and police.” Notwithstanding the party’s many other differences with the NDA regime, the Congress will be with the Centre in its efforts to normalise the situation in J&K, Azad said. “We assure the government that any positive step to resolve the issue in Kashmir, they’ll have our full co-operation.”