The Kashmir issue is political and t should be addressed through a process of dialogue between the separatists and the Centre, said Omar Abdullah.
The Kashmir issue is political and hence it should be addressed politically through a process of dialogue between the separatists and the Centre and involving the state government, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said.
"The Kashmir issue is a political one. It needs to be addressed in a political manner. In this direction, the role of the state government is to engage separatists and facilitate dialogue between them and the Centre so that a consensus can be arrived at," an official statement said here on Saturday quoting a media interview given by the chief minister.
"We are not setting boundaries. They can talk and advocate any solution. It is up to the government of India to accept it or not. We should not pre-suppose what they will
talk or not," Abdullah said.
Kashmir is not an administrative issue or matter of good governance, he said. "Even as issues of power, road and water remain of prime concern to the people, the lasting solution to the problem lies in tackling its political dimensions by taking along all stakeholders so that peace returns to the region permanently.
The state government is the first point-of-contact and so long as the Centre keeps it involved in the dialogue process, it will move forward with consistency, he said, adding lack of such consistency hampers progress.
"Without bypassing the state government, the dialogue should be carried forward constantly. We have nothing to lose if they (separatists) join the mainstream," Abdullah said. The chief minister said that the autonomy proposal floated by the National Conference (NC) was approved by the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly and no proposal has replaced it yet.
"We have also brought it into the deliberations of the 5th working group. We do not suggest that it is the only solution, but it is the ideal one," he said.
Regarding Indo-Pak ties, the chief minister said the relations between the two neighbours have a direct impact on Jammu and Kashmir and hoped it would improve. He said incidents like the Mumbai terror attacks definitely cast a shadow on their relations but added that the silver lining in the dark cloud is that the 26/11 outrage has
not created a situation of one step forward and two steps backward.
"Pakistan should take firm steps to tackle the situation. We see today that sportsmen do not visit Pakistan. Tomorrow businessmen will not go there and if they do not take the
right steps, the situation will deteriorate further," he said.
"If you ride a wild tiger, it will devour you some day", Abdullah said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=spacer}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}