New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) In his first initiative to address the latest unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday urged Kashmiris to ‘give peace a chance’ and promised a political solution ‘that addresses the alienation and emotional needs of the people’ there through sustained ‘internal and external’ dialogue.
‘Let us make a new beginning,’ Manmohan Singh said in his first public comments on the recent trouble in the Kashmir Valley that has left over 50 people dead, mostly in firing by security forces, since mid June.
Addressing an all-party delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, at the Panchvati conference room adjacent to his residence, Manmohan Singh, who spoke in Urdu, expressed his government’s readiness for a sustained dialogue to solve the Kashmir issue.
Calling for an end to the ‘the cycle of violence’ and that peace ‘be given a chance’, the prime minister said that he recognised that ‘the key to the problem is a political solution that addresses the alienation and emotional needs of the people’.
‘This can only be achieved through a sustained internal and external dialogue. We are ready for this. We are willing to discuss all issues within the bounds of our democratic processes and framework. But this process can gather momentum and yield results only if there is a prolonged peace,’ he said.
In the over 15-minute speech, Manmohan Singh focused more on the youth in the valley and assured them that their political and economic empowerment was among the priorities.
‘I appeal to the youth to go back to their schools and colleges and allow classes to resume. I ask their parents: what future is there for Kashmir if your children are not educated?’ he asked.
The meeting was called in the backdrop of the unrest in the valley, which has led to the revival of pro-freedom movement in the state. The valley has been on the boil for the past two months now with schools and colleges managing to open only for a day or two as curfew and shutdowns continue unabated.
‘The events in Kashmir over the past few weeks have caused me great pain. I share the grief, the sorrow and the sense of loss of every mother, every father, every family and every child in Kashmir,’ Manmohan Singh said in his passionate appeal for peace.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
While the ruling coalition partners – the National Conference and the Congress – and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Jammu and Kashmir National Panther’s Party and smaller parties attended the meet, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted it.
Manmohan Singh said the future of Jammu and Kashmir should be practical and ‘grounded in political and economic realities of our time’ as he urged political parties from the state to build a consensus on a ‘realizable’ vision.
Reaching out to young protesters of Kashmir, Manmohan Singh said: ‘I can feel the pain and understand the anger and frustration that is bringing young people out on to the streets of Kashmir.’
‘Every possible effort should be made to reach out to the youth in Jammu and Kashmir. We must respond in a sincere and substantive manner to their genuine aspirations for freedom from fear and for freedom to build for themselves a life of dignity, security and well-being,’ he said.
‘I assure the youth of Jammu and Kashmir that their genuine empowerment will be accorded the highest priority in our Jammu and Kashmir policy.’
He indicated a review of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, which gives the army legal immunity for their actions, saying that his government was aware of the ‘public sentiment’ in Kashmir on the issue.
Political parties, including separatists, have been strongly urging the central government to review the AFSPA. But the BJP is against any changes in the law.
The prime minister announced the formation of a six-member committee led by C. Rangarajan, chairman of PM’s Economic Advisory Council, to prepare a plan for employment opportunities in the state. The panel will submit its report within three months.
CPI-M state secretary and lawmaker Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami praised the initiative but was critical of its timing.
‘The PM has heard all of us. He said he would consider them and appropriate decision will be taken. All of us will work together so that difficulties are tackled and people are relieved,’ Tarigami told IANS after the meeting.
‘This message should have been sent earlier. We can expect good results nonetheless,’ he said.
