SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir secretary of the CPI (M) M.Y. Tarigami has said that demilitarisation should start from Srinagar and it would be the biggest confidence-building measure.

"Kashmir is crying for solution but people with vested interests want continuation of violence," said Mr. Tarigami who recently attended a conference on Kashmir in Pakistan.

Mr. Tarigami said India should take bold decisions that could act as harbingers of peace in future. He termed the Pugwash conference in Islamabad as a major movement forward and assailed those who said it was a failure. "Those dismissing this conference as a failure are living in fool's paradise and trying to ignore ground realities."

The situation has changed now and people on both sides of the border have a strong desire for peace, he said.

Mr. Tarigami called for evolving a consensus among the people of the country on sending back the Army and other paramilitary forces to barracks and handing over the security of Srinagar to police.

"Our police is capable of maintaining law and order; we do not need security forces in Srinagar; they have done their work and must now be sent back to the barracks. We must take brave decisions, otherwise history will not forgive us."

The CPI (M) leader, who is also the Kulgam MLA, urged the Centre to restore all Constitutional powers to the State under Article 370.

Regional autonomy

"Besides this, regional autonomy should be granted to Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh," he said.

"We can satisfy the aspirations and wishes of all regions and sub-regions only by trickling down power at the grassroots level," he argued.

Mr. Tarigami said that no solution would be viable and everlasting if it did not address the aspirations of all regions.

"One thing is clear. A consensus has already been evolved that division of the State on regional and religious lines is not acceptable to any group."

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