Two influential mainstream leaders in Jammu & Kashmir —Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed — have hoped that Nawaz Sharif’s return to power in Pakistan would help boost peace process between India and Pakistan and pave way for the resolution of Kashmir issue.
Observers say the change in guard in Pakistan invariably shows its impact in Kashmir and during the last two decades since Pakistan-backed insurgency changed the State’s profile, this influence has been more than visible. Nawaz Sharif’s previous tenure was marked by his historic reception accorded to Atal Bihari Vajpayee at lahore, which restarted peace process between the two nations. However, during his regime, Kargil incursion took place to return acrimony. Observers opine that the Kargil architect Gen Parvez Musharraf’s subsequent treatment to Sharif after deposing him as the Prime Minister, imprisoning and forcing exile on him, somehow cleans his image. “He (Sharif) is definitely a new Prime Minister after going through the grind for all these years. India can find him a matured and more influential politician to deal with,” said Rashid Ahmad, a senior journalist.
Both Omar and Mufti have recalled that historic phase in the Indo-Pak history and expected end of hostilities between the two nuclear powers. Omar Abdullah even parroted Sharif’s words urging him to pick up threads from where they had been left.
“We’ll pick the threads where we left. We want to move toward better relations with India, to resolve the remaining issues through peaceful means, including that of Kashmir,” Sharif said in lahore as poll results showing Pakistan Muslim league (Nawaz’s) triumph started emerging.
“Today is an important day for people of Jammu & Kashmir as the elections were held in Pakistan and Mian Nawaz Sharif is emerging as victorious. I congratulate Mian Sahib on behalf of people of Jammu & Kashmir, my Government and myself and hope that he would carry forward the process of restoring peace and friendship with India and work for resolving K-issue”, Omar Abdullah said at a public meeting at a village in north Kashmir’s Pattan area on Sunday.
“Establishment of a stable and liberal Government in that country would help pick up the threads of peace process once again”, PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed expressed the similar views. He said the democratically elected stable Government in Pakistan was a critical element in carrying forward the peace process and Jammu & Kashmir had the highest stake in its revival.
Omar also appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to extend hand of friendship to Sharif for resolving all outstanding issues including those pertaining to Jammu & Kashmir similarly as Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended friendship to then Pakistan President Musharraf. He said unless friendship and peace is restored between the two countries, the basic political issues cannot be solved amicably. He said the friendship between the two countries is in the larger interest of people of Jammu & Kashmir and the sub-continent.
Interestingly, Mufti said that he received an impression from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his recent meeting in New Delhi that successful conclusion of elections in Pakistan could facilitate revival of dialogue and implementation of J&K specific CBMs. He expressed hope that Singh and his new counterpart in Pakistan would respond positively to the sentiments of the people in the two parts of the erstwhile State and take measures for early resumption of composite dialogue with special focus on the problems of J&K resulting from hostility between the two countries.