As the head of an unofficial Indian delegation to the United Nations, former J-K chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is carrying a “recipe” for the permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. The formula is believed to be extremely bold and controversial, which does not fit in the Centre’s traditional stance on J-K internationally.

Addressing a large gathering of party workers in Srinagar today hours before leaving for New York, he stressed on self-rule within Indian Constitution based on the concept of regional federalism where the Centre will have to forgo the power to dismiss J-K Government under Article 356, stop appointing Governor to the state, scrapping all Central services and creating J-K as an economic free zone.

He told the gathering: “Self-rule rah-hay-najaat hai (self-rule is the only way out). Jin Mushkil mein hum phasein hovay hain self-rule hamay oun say nikalay ga (self-rule alone can bring us out of the difficulties that we are caught in).

Sources close to Mufti say although he is going as the head of an Indian delegation, he will use the occasion to turn into a diplomat for an “Andorra-type joint management’’ solution, which will restore J-K state’s status as it was before Partition but “without violating the sovereignty of India or Pakistan’’. Mufti’s plan includes “a symmetry in structure of the governance between Indian and Pakistani sides of J-K’’ with a constitutional provision to “elect J-K’s own President on Lebanese pattern on rotation basis’’.

The sources reveal that Mufti will meet US officials as well as Pakistani diplomats “even as there is no such schedule as yet’’. In Srinagar rally, however, Mufti was constantly stressing that his “self-rule’’ formula was well within the contours of the Constitution of the country: a message not aimed towards his Kashmir audience but to the detractors of his formula in New Delhi, including ruling coalition partner Congress. “Self- rule will give dignity to the people of the state,” he said.

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