Chief minister Omar Abdullah who keeps blowing hot and cold ever since faced with Kashmiri unrest which often finds expression on the streets of the Valley has, once again, softened his position and tried to reach out the people by promising them the Kashmir imbroglio will be addressed politically.
In a signed statement here on Friday, the chief minister said, “People of Kashmir are a part of my flesh and blood” and made a passionate appeal to them and those living in rest of the state “to rise above political affiliations and ideologies, come together and work with us to ensure that order and peace are restored in the troubled parts of the Valley.”
He wished to work jointly with them “to find a solution to the Kashmir imbroglio and facilitate a dialogue between India and Pakistan as well as a dialogue between the Centre and various shades of opinion in the state.” He said, “We must work together to find a solution which can lead to lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir as per the aspirations of the people of this great land.”
Mr Abdullah said that though his party National Conference (NC) is for autonomy, he has time and again said that while it has put a proposal of restoring the autonomy before different forums, he and his party are not averse to move beyond it, “if there is a solution other than autonomy that is acceptable to both India and Pakistan and meets the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
He added, “I firmly believe and have repeated time and again that the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir cannot be assuaged only by development, good governance and economic packages, we need to address the political aspects of the problem as well.”