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New Delhi: Batting firmly for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) issue, Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has said Pakistan’s decision to hand over the captured pilot to India is a great gesture towards peace.
“Wing Commander Abhinandan’s release is a great gesture from Pakistan. Islamabad has chosen not to escalate an already tense situation. This is a move towards reconciliation. I hope the leadership in India reciprocate this gesture,” Mehbooba Mufti told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
The senior politician, whose party was until recently an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in J & K, said that India needed a leader with vision to make peace with Pakistan.
“We need someone with a vision and political largesse, who will take decisions based on long term interests, instead of allowing the situation to become hostage to electoral prospects,” she added.
Criticising authorities in the Indian state, as well as the Central government, for launching a crackdown and subsequent ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami (J & K), Mufti said the arrests and bans were totally unjustified.
“Why is the government of India uncomfortable with Jamaat-e-Islami? It is an organisation that has worked tirelessly for Kashmiris. [The Central] Government’s high-handed approach to dealing with these issues is not right.”
Revealing that as chief minister she faced a similar situation, Mufti was blunt.
“Time and again I was asked to arrest Jamaat activists but I put my foot down and refused to cave in,” she said.
“Do you ever hear of the police arresting Shiv Sena workers for instance? Why then should political activists in Kashmir alone suffer? India is the world’s largest democracy and everyone should have a right to voice their opinions.”
Mufti expressed her unhappiness over the war frenzy in India.
“To even utter the D-word [dialogue] at this time comes with its own risks. In a recent interview I gave to a TV channel, there was applause every time the anchor spoke about the India-Pakistan war. But one must understand that, while we express anguish over the death of a soldier, are we willing to put the lives of other soldiers on the line in order to seek revenge? Did (former prime minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee not extend a hand of friendship to Pakistan even after the Kargil war and the Parliament attacks?” she asked.
