Opposition parties pitch for talks between India, Pak

Srinagar: Opposition parties led by National Conference on Friday said India and Pakistan should hold talks for the resolution of Kashmir issue and the Centre should initiate a political process in the state, stressing that war is not the solution.
“We are all concerned about peace in Jammu and Kashmir. India and Pakistan should sit on a table and resolve this issue,” NC president Farooq Abdullah told reporters after chairing a meeting of leaders of opposition parties, including Congress and CPI(M).
“Through dialogue, our (Kashmir) issue will also be resolved. War is not a solution,” he said.
Recalling Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s famous speech in Kashmir in 2002, Abdullah said the then Prime Minister had maintained that friends can be changed but not neighbours.
“If we live in peace with neighbours, we will all prosper. If we take the route of confrontation, their development might be hampered but ours will also be affected,” he said.
Terming the prevailing situation in the Valley as “dangerous”, he said all parties should work together for peace for which a political process has to be initiated. “We are unanimous that the current situation is dangerous.
The sooner it is resolved the better it is for the state and the South Asian region.
“It is a political issue. The Prime Minister has said it needs to be resolved and it is even in the agenda of the ruling party (PDP) to have a dialogue with all stakeholders, including Hurriyat Conference,” Abdullah, who was accompanied by leaders from other opposition parties, said. (PTI)