National Conference: Talks must to resolve issues

The Opposition National Conference (NC) on Wednesday cautioned that “war hysteria” would further aggravate the situation in Kashmir and urged India and Pakistan to talk to each other to resolve all issues.

“New Delhi and Islamabad should engage in talks to de-escalate the situation of hostility and war-mongering and genuinely embark on a comprehensive political process to resolve all outstanding issues,” the party said, adding that the situation in Kashmir “cannot be ignored and relegated to the back-burner by engaging in jingoism and war-mongering”.

NC’s chief spokesman Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said that the terror attack in Uri was “extremely saddening and condemnable” and noted with dismay and concern that there are powers in both countries that are opposed to mutual cooperation and peace. “We have always observed how these entities leave no stone unturned to create such situations of hostility at the most crucial junctures. It is situations like these which make the need for dialogue even more pertinent and urgent. There is no alternative to dialogue,” he said. Mr Mehdi added, “War-mongering is not patriotism. The age of wars and conquests is long over”.

He asked “certain national media channels” to desist from adding more venom to the atmosphere of hostility and animosity that has claimed thousands of lives and affected both countries adversely. “Our media channels should not resort to chest-thumping and war-mongering in a race for TRPs. This hysteria will not achieve anything and will only remove our focus from resolving outstanding issues, including the political issue in Kashmir. The costs of prolonging these conflicts and issues are huge and it is time we realise the difference between jingoism and patriotism,” he asserted.

He appealed for restraint and an exhibition of maturity and statesmanship from both sides, saying that the people of Kashmir are the worst sufferers of hostility between New Delhi and Islamabad as “we have paid enormous, unimaginable human, economic and political costs due to this animosity”. He said that at a time when nearly 85 young boys and girls have been killed in Kashmir and when people are out agitating for a resolution of the political issue, any war-mongering will be counterproductive and will only further worsen the already grave situation.

He lashed out at the PDP for not fulfilling its ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ promise of bringing New Delhi and Islamabad closer towards mutual cooperation and dialogue on outstanding issues. “When PDP markets past CBMs as alleged achievements of Late Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) Sahib, then Mehbooba Mufti – by the same standard – is also culpable and responsible for the present hostility between the two countries,” he said. He alleged that the PDP-BJP was an alliance of opportunism which has added to the atmosphere of hopelessness and haplessness in Kashmir. “The PDP remains on mute mode since it is terrified to demand that New Delhi should talk to Islamabad. This is yet another U-turn by the party and it is evident that Mehbooba Mufti is reluctant to draw any lessons and make amends”, he said.