Mufti Sayeed to meet PM on dual currency

JAMMU: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will soon meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss his proposal that both the Indian and Pakistani currencies be used in the state.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) patron believes that the use of dual currency in the troubled state would open "a solid bridge with Pakistan", sources close to Mufti Sayeed said.

"Mufti Sayeed will visit Delhi soon. He believes that things will start moving once he puts across his point of view to the prime minister," a PDP minister told IANS. This, the minister added, wóuld be "a confidence building measure and open a solid bridge with Pakistan".

Mufti Sayeed has argued that since the Indian rupee is stronger than the Pakistani rupee, the introduction of dual currency in the state would help India more.

The PDP minister compared the criticism to the dual currency idea to the protests that greeted Mufti Sayeed's initial demand for the opening of the Srinagar-Muzzaffrabad road to link the two halves of Kashmir held by India and Pakistan.

Mufti Sayeed had made public his idea about dual currency in Rajouri about two weeks ago.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Conference termed it an "anti-national" demand. The Jammu Kashmir National Panthers Party demanded the arrest of Mufti Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti.