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A good beginning, says PDP

Mehbooba Mufti says the role of the gun is over.

FOR MEHBOOBA Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party and daughter of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who led her party to victory in the 2002 Assembly election on the slogan of "restoring peace with dignity" through a process of dialogue, it is a "historic development".

"It is a good beginning. For the first time a group of separatists talked at the highest level of the establishment in New Delhi," says Ms. Mufti.

A series of confidence-building measures was put in place before the dialogue, says Ms. Mufti, and that helped push the process.

Ms. Mufti claims there is a perceptible change in the atmosphere. "There is a complete change in the mindset of people based on an urge for peace," says the PDP president.

"The PDP's manifesto revolves round these [confidence-building] measures and they included releasing prisoners and disbanding the Special Operations Group... we had started implementing them."

Ms. Mufti charges the previous National Conference Government with sabotaging similar processes in the past. "Farooq Abdullah said if the government opens up a dialogue with the Hurriyat, he would be the first to raise a banner of revolt." But this time, not only is the State Government facilitating the dialogue, but New Delhi is also keen on channelling and cultivating the changed atmosphere, she says.

Pakistan is also contributing to the peace process, albeit cautiously, according to her. "There is a strong belief now that the role of the gun is over," claims Ms. Mufti. The SAARC summit also had a positive impact on the dialogue and "I believe this in turn will have a similar impact on the ongoing peace process between the two countries".

To a question, Ms. Mufti says that those who are still out of the process, "have no other alternative but to involve themselves". It is in the interest of the people and "not many can stay away from this process unless they want to alienate themselves."

S.B.

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