PDP welcome PC’s statement on Kashmir issue

“The development has infused a breath of fresh air into a scenario that has marred by negative rhetoric for a long while,” she said,referring to the Union minister’s statement yesterday in Delhi.

Chidambaram had said that political parties like National Conference,PDP and Congress have a point of view and the effort would be to hold talks with all shades of political opinion,including some political groups advocating separatism.

Expressing hope that the dialogue process would take off without delay,Mehbooba said it was also necessary to engage Pakistan in talks at political and diplomatic levels.

“All the political shades of opinion in the state need to be taken on board to reach a lasting solution which would also be acceptable to people and states of India and Pakistan,” she said.

Referring to Union minister’s comments on withdrawal of forces,Mehbooba said that needs to be done now in view of the vastly improved security scenario as endorsed by Chidambaram himself.

The PDP president claimed that the withdrawal of troops would work as an effective confidence building measure along with revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Mehbooba said Chidambaram could not be more accurate in outlining the contours of the problem and its possible solution when he said that Jammu and Kashmir would need its own solution in view of the peculiar background of its problems and that no other arrangement could serve as a model for the state.

“PDP has always held that though economic progress and development were important to the people of the state as much as to any other place it would remain an unachievable goal unless the core political problem was addressed and resolved,” she said.