Strongly advocating dialogue to address the political issues, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said violence has not changed anything in Kashmir but only brought miseries and bloodshed to the State.
"Violence has changed nothing on political spectrum of Jammu & Kashmir, but brought mayhem, miseries, economic disaster, academic breakdown and social disorder to the State," the Chief Minister said while handing over appointment orders under SRO-43 to the next of kin of such Government employees who have died in harness.
Maintaining that the majority of stakeholders in Jammu & Kashmir want resolution of the issues through peaceful political means, the Chief Minister stressed the need for creating conducive atmosphere for reviving the dialogue and resolution process. "Unfortunately, the some sections of the youth resorting to violence are impeding the resolution process instead of facilitating it," she said adding; "We have witnessed a gory era of death and destruction for the past 26 years. Has it changed anything on ground except inflicting deep and pestering wounds on KashmirisIJ" she said and added that instead of facilitating resolution of the issues, it (violence) only left behind a trail of tragedies and pain in almost every household in Kashmir. "It converted our play-fields into graveyards and once happily living families into traumatised souls and mourning households," she said and adding; "If resolution of political issues through dialogue is not the way out, then what is the way out of the present imbroglioIJ Tell me what is the solution, other than sitting across the table and talking in a peaceful and amicable atmosphereIJ" she asked. She urged the people to give peace a chance so that the reconciliation and resolution process can be revived through dialogue and discussion.
Calling for winning the hearts and minds of the people, the Chief Minister said the reconciliation and resolution process which was started in 2002 by the then NDA Government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had shown tangible results on the ground. "The major confidence building initiatives taken during that period had not only helped positively transform the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, but in the whole sub-continent," she said and added that the peace and reconciliation process in and around Jammu & Kashmir has to be revived with fresh resolve to ensure peace and stability in the State and the region.
Seeking time and space to implement the roadmap laid down in the 'Agenda of Alliance', the Chief Minister said her Government's agenda is not event-related and it is a process which would be taken to the logical conclusion through tangible initiatives at political, economic and administrative fronts including dialogue with all the stakeholders to address the momentous challenges confronting Jammu & Kashmir.
The Chief Minister said her Government strongly believes that nothing is valid and should be happening for Jammu & Kashmir except with the active involvement of its people. "However, the people from all shades of the political opinion shall have to evolve a consensus on a pragmatic and workable solution of the problems confronting the State in the interest of peace and stability," she said and added that the time has come to strike a new benchmark in light of the global and regional realities for the resolution of the State's problems.
Mehbooba said while the uncertainties and recurrent turmoil has adversely affected almost all the spheres of life in Kashmir, the youth become its specific target as the violence has consumed nearly an entire young generation. She said the society can't afford to lose more youth now, and measures have to be taken to safeguard their lives and future. "The need, therefore, is not only to safeguard the precious lives of the youth but to create increasing opportunities for them to develop their personality and their functional capability and make them economically productive and socially useful," she said and added that such opportunities have to be created on a large scale, to cover a wide spectrum of areas of the human endeavor.