In an unusual move, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday welcomed the statement made by Dr Farooq Abdullah in Parliament, saying that the party hopes National Conference (NC) president sticks to what he has said this time about the resolution of Kashmir issue.
In a statement issued here, former minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said the PDP welcomes Abdullah's change of heart and the party hopes that it wouldn’t be a mere poll gimmick by the NC president.
“We hope Dr Abdullah sticks to it and contributes to the resolution of Kashmir in a positive manner. It is also a high time for the central government to utilise this consensus among the political groups in Kashmir vis-a-vis the peaceful resolution of Kashmir and that the government of India should respond to this consensus at an earliest,” Akhtar said.
Farooq Abdullah, referring to the situation in Jammu&Kashmir had said in the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence motion that "We want peace, you people won't like what Farooq Abdullah will say; peace won't come till we find a solution with Pakistan"
The PDP leader added that things in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be done in compartments and that the central government must take a holistic approach to address decades-old conflict amicably and peacefully.
“While development of the state is important but broader political trouble has to be addressed and fixed and till then peace will remain elusive. Talks with Pakistan, Hurriyat and other stakeholders is needed and through this way only, the situation will get stabilised. It is a moral responsibility of the central government to address the issue and make peace an inseparable feature of the state,” Akhtar said.
