NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has sought speedy implementation of the recommendations of the four working groups and hoped that this would usher in an era of peace and development through re-building, reconstruction and restoration.

Speaking at the third roundtable conference on Jammu and Kashmir here, Mr. Azad said the recommendations were very practical which would ensure immediate benefit to the people of the State and all the affected persons in need of special attention.

Reports adopted

The reports of the working groups were adopted at the roundtable by all major political parties except a note of dissent from Bharatiya Janata Party representatives.

Mr. Azad said the plight of a large number of widows, orphans and dependents of those killed needed sympathy and attention. Those who had forsaken and given up militancy needed to be brought into the mainstream.

For the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Azad said he had requested the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation to transfer some hydel projects to the State for additional availability of power.

He also recommended special allocation for rural roads.

Patron of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said substantial ground had been covered by the working groups. Their recommendations, when implemented, would make a positive impact on the internal dimensions of the problem.

"However, for the final and amicable settlement of the issue, it is imperative that the external dimensions are also addressed through a sustained and result-oriented dialogue process with Pakistan."

Reiterating that his party's self-rule agenda offered the most viable solution to the problem, Mr. Sayeed said it was the most comprehensive prescription addressing not only the political, but also the economic, social and regional aspects. Self-rule, he said, had four components — autonomy, control, legitimacy and identity.

"While autonomy refers to the independence a state has in making policies, control refers to the actual ability of the state to produce the outcome it desired," he said.

Legitimacy referred to the process through which the people in power reach that position and identity referred to the capacity of the state to endow people with an overriding sense of who they were.

Broader issues

Hoping for the fair implementation of the recommendations, M.Y. Tarigami of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said this however should not mean overlooking the broader issues.

It was equally important to present a civilian face to the presence of India in the State by opening more Central universities and technical institutes.

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