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ShareSrinagar: The ruling National Conference and the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) have started pitching their proposals for autonomy and self-rule as solutions to the Kashmir problem.
Leading the charge is state chief minister Omar Abdullah, who has reminded the Centre that restoring autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir is not about creating a state within a state, but addressing and accommodating the diversity of identity, economy and development.
The National Conference government had passed the autonomy report in the Assembly on June 26, 2000, but it was summarily rejected then by the NDA government as anti-national because it would have created a "state within the state".
Under the autonomy resolution, J&K will enjoy complete autonomy and only four issues -- defence, foreign policy, currency and communications -- will lie with the centre.
"Autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir had been designed to address genuine issues of identity, borders and governance in a consensual democracy. It prevents these issues from escalating and taking the form of nation, territory and statehood which sow seeds of secession," Omar said.
The CM said that under the autonomous status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir in 1951, the state enjoys its own constitution, flag and residuary powers. "Much of this status has been eroded between then and now. This has affected everything from political discourse to personal conduct, from economy to emotions, from society to sensibilities and from institutions to ideologies", chief minister Abdullah said.
On the other side, PDP too has started making noises about self-rule. "Through our self-rule proposal, we have been demanding more powers for the state and if our state would become economically self-reliant, all regions and sub-regions would be equally benefited," said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, PDP patron and former chief minister.
Under self-rule, PDP has proposed a new political superstructure that integrates the region and empowers sub-regions, phased economic integration that transcends borders and constitutional restructuring that ensures sharing of sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir, including the PoK.
"While self-rule would effectively remove the sense of siege that had gripped the state post 1947, it would also lead to a virtual reunion of the two sides separated by LoC," said Mufti.
