Border skirmishes will add to alienation in J&K: Mufti

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today said escalation in skirmishes on LoC and International Border will further add to alienation among people of Jammu and Kashmir. He however regretted that the ceasefire agreement of 2003 was not incremented by any means which according to him is one of the reasons behind the prevailing tensions on LoC and International Border.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mufti expressed serious concern over the mounting tension on borders saying that “the intensity and frequency of ceasefire violations would suggest the decade long truce is all but crashing.”
Mufti said that there has never been any dearth of hawks in the two neighboring countries who would fan the fire of hostility and bullet for bullet policy. “There have been wars on major and minor scales which brought destruction and misery to the people of the state. But those who advocate violence have themselves been at a safe distance from the nearest bullet fired or house bombed.”
“The PDP has decided to take out a peace march on November 4. We want to convey a message to the national leadership the concern for the deterioration in security environment and the need to mend it through peaceful means. The message has to go across to Pakistani leadership as well to spare the state and the region from any fresh adventures.”
The former chief minister appealed that the concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as the frontline state must be respected and ceasefire restored. “Through the Peace March we hope to convey our seriousness on the issue and expect it to get registered in spite of the din, partisan interests and strategies of ongoing electoral battle,” he said.
Mufti said that many frontier villages have already borne much brunt of the renewed acts of hostility on borders. “There have been reports of migration, injuries and deaths as a result of firing and shelling. We express our solidarity with the bereaved families,” Mufti observed.
Mufti made it clear that war as no option, not even the last. “We have witnessed wars and suffered their consequences as no other state has had to. Every war was triggered by hawkish interpretation of situation and had to be followed up with negotiations or mediation to end them,” he said.
Mufti said, “If we could tackle Kargil intrusion without going for a full scale war, if parliament attack could see the longest ceasefire between the two countries coming in the wake of troop mobilization, one fails to understand the logic of any war mongering now in absence of any major provocation.”
The former Chief Minister opined that the border firing has nothing to do with the conflict around Kashmir because both countries realize that use of force cannot bring any change in its status. “The issue has to be addressed politically and the two countries have to respect the yearning for peace in J&K,” Mufti said adding. “Vajpayee did that in 2003 with resounding results when it looked that finally the jinx around Kashmir was being neutralized. People of this state continue to nurture the same sentiment and want that the peace process be revived and taken to its next level. That will also help retain the spirit of ceasefire and protecting it against any sabotage.”
He said that PDP wants to make it clear that it treats war as no option, not even the last. We have witnessed wars and suffered their consequences as no other state has had to. Every war was triggered by hawkish interpretation of situation and had to be followed up with negotiations or mediation to end them.