Senior PDP leader and Member Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Beig, who attended the Prime Minister’s All Party Meet on Kashmir in New Delhi on Friday made the following speech:“Defusing the current situation is a necessity but it is not a solution. The problem in Kashmir started from 1947 as a result of partition Pakistan’s existence is based on the theory that Muslims and Hindus cannot live as one nation. Therefore it is expected that Pakistan would like Kashmir to become a part of Pakistan that is only one part of the problem. The more important fact is that promises made to people of Kashmir by the central leaders and leaders of Kashmir were beached. This has resulted in people’s complete mistrust in mainstream political parties as well as Indian state.”“The PDP-BJP alliance was forged to address this issue in real time it was not nearly a power sharing agreement but agenda of alliance was agreed to find a road map to address all political and economic problems of Kashmir. Time is running out and if that agenda is not implemented, there is danger that even Mehbooba Mufti will lose her credibility and that will further worsen the situation.”
In a written statement issued to KNS, “Beig said PM Modi used the phase Kashmiriyat in his speech delivered in Kishtwar as a means of addressing Kashmir problem. This was encouraging Kashmiriyat has too components, civilizational and political. In Kashmir the composit culture was formed and enriched by co-existence of old Pandit Shiwatism, which believes in unity of God and human brotherhood and Sufi tradition which believes in Love compassion and unity of diving truth to the political component of Kashmiriyat was preserved in article 370 cum separate constitution of J&K. Civilizational Kashmiriyat can be preserved only if political identity of Kashmir is respected and preserved. But there are voices which endanger this political component of Kashmiriyat. The problem of Kashmir is endemic. It is a subterranean volcanic problem which is bound to erupt from time to time there is no quick fix solution to this problem and empty dialogue will not do. I told the PM that he had prescribed code of conduct for politics and public policy in a conclave in Allahabad. It had five components; Balance, patience, Positive thinking, Empathy and Dialogue. The same prescription should be followed while dealing with Kashmir and Kadshmiris only then a dialogue can be fruitful.
I said that the present struggle in Kashmir is different from 2008 and 2010 uprisings. It has now spirit to country side women are participating in large numbers. Early teenagers from almost seventy five of protestors there are willing to die. I expressed my view that we have to learn a lesson from history. When Americans fought a war against communist Russians through Muslims in Afghanistan, lakhs of orphans between Talibaan they were brought up in poor condition in Schools given a pair of clothes only occasion of Eid and then they were made to fight other peoples war in Afghanistan. They were told that this is Jihaad. “If you die, you will go to paradise, where there will be all worthy pleasure If you survive, you are a Ghazee. After the emergence of ISIS ideology, which is spreading throughout the world, there is now a danger that the Talibaan experiment will be replicated in Kashmir. The real battle is for the minds of youth in Kashmir. That cannot be won by excessive use of force, pellet guns and curfews. It is only through winning the confidence of youth and providing them a new narrative and more hopeful narrative that we can win their hearts and minds. There is no alternative to this long term policy. My last plea to PM was please stop the use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS)