Mehbooba Mufti writes to political leaders; Calls for united outreach to centre on J&K issues

SRINAGAR (KIMS) — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has written to several political leaders and representatives in Jammu and Kashmir, urging them to come together and seek a sustained dialogue with the Government of India on issues concerning the Union Territory.

Among those addressed by Mehbooba are Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone, Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid, AAP president Mehraj Malik, PDF chairman Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, J&K National Panthers Party president Harsh Dev Singh, Shiv Sena state president Manish Sahni, Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti president Sanjay Tickoo and Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee chairman Jaspal Singh.

In her letter to Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba said recent breakthroughs achieved by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance through engagement with the Centre demonstrated that dialogue could lead to meaningful outcomes.

She said Jammu and Kashmir was once again at a crossroads and called for a broad consensus cutting across political and party lines to address the prevailing sense of despair and disillusionment among the people.

Mehbooba urged the Chief Minister to convene an official meeting of political parties to formulate a collective approach for engaging with the Central Government.

She said disagreements and political differences should be set aside in the larger interest of the people and stressed that the initiative should not become an exercise in claiming political credit.

The PDP president said post-2019 developments and continued political divisions had adversely affected the collective interests of Jammu and Kashmir and that a reasonable consensus among political stakeholders was the need of the hour.

In her letter to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and other political leaders, Mehbooba called for unity among political parties and urged them to join efforts aimed at seeking a meaningful and sustained engagement between the Centre and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

She said the region was passing through a critical phase marked by uncertainty and disillusionment and emphasized the need to build consensus above political affiliations.

Mehbooba urged the leaders to support a collective outreach to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the restoration of dialogue with Jammu and Kashmir and to address the concerns and aspirations of its people.

She said political parties should rise above their differences and work collectively to safeguard the rights, aspirations and identity of the people within the framework of the Constitution of India.

Mehbooba also urged all stakeholders to support a united political initiative aimed at restoring dignity, security and confidence among the people of Jammu and Kashmir. — (KIMS)