Urging the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan to go for a composite dialogue so that to bring an end to the skirmishes on Line of Control (LoC), National Conference Thursday expressed concern over the fresh cease fire violations in Samba sector in Jammu region.
Party General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar while addressing a meeting of district presidents of Kashmir region here at the party headquarters said that the firing along the LoC has yielded nothing other than causing loss of precious lives.“The frequent border skirmishes are childish exercises which have never yielded anything other than killing the innocents on both sides of the border. The brunt of the border firing has to be ultimately faced by the people living in the border areas who are compelled to leave their homes,” Sagar said, condemning the fresh firing between the armies of India and Pakistan in the Samba sector in Jammu region.He urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to discuss issues on table and said that the time is ripe the neighbours should end the hostility in the region.“The hostility between India and Pakistan should be removed and both the countries should sit across the table and resolve their differences,” Sagar said.
“People across the region have a strong yearning for peace and progress. But unfortunately due to the hostility between the two neighbours, people living in border areas have to move out of their homes and leave their livestock and many other precious things behind, which is the only source of their income,” Sagar lamented adding “In the last year at many occasions people had to leave their homes due to the firing which is unfortunate.” He said people of Jammu and Kashmir are the worst sufferers of the hostility between India Pakistan that is continuing since many decades now and the leadership of both the countries should show empathy towards people of state.“Both the countries need to understand that we are the basic sufferers of the conflict between the two neighbours and any attempt made by the two to end hostility will be warmly welcomed the National Conference which has been calling for the resolution of all long pending issues,” he said.He further said that both the countries forgetting the differences of the past, should now move ahead and stop blaming each other which has created bitterness in the relations among two neighbours. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have to bear the brunt of any aggression between Delhi and Islamabad and it’s the need of hour that the two countries should display political wisdom by making efforts to resolve all outstanding issues,” he said.
Sagar said it’s worrying that both the countries have 90% of their annual budget on the defence spending, the same money could have been utilised on the development of both the countries as a large population in these countries continues to live below poverty line.“Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was always in favour of friendly relations between India and Pakistan and during his lifetime, he made several attempts to bring them closer,” Sagar said adding “The two countries should resume the stalled dialogue process for resolving the issues. Unarmed civilians have borne the brunt of the hostilities between India and Pakistan, which should stop.”
Meanwhile, Sagar also stressed on the party cadre, workers and activists to work hard to strengthen the party and to raise the issues of common people with the leadership.The meeting was also attended by Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani and MLC Ali Mohammad Dar, Peer Afaaq Ahmed and other district secretaries. On the occasion, Nasir Aslam Wani stressed upon the party district presidents and other senior party functionaries to work for strengthening roots of the party.