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Call to sustain Kashmir peace process

SRINAGAR: The Kashmir civil society has called for sustaining the Kashmir peace process for finding an amicable solution to the problem.

Amid a plethora of suggestions, Amitabh Mattoo, Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University, threw up a new concept of “grand reconciliation” to bring the people in different parts of the State closer.

Delivering the lecture organised by the Action Committee for Return of Migrants (ACRM), Prof. Mattoo said it seemed that the peace process had frozen and the bonhomie between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf witnessed at one point of time was part of the past now. “There is tremendous responsibility on the part of civil society to act when governments and State have failed to do so.” He said that a “grand reconciliation” was needed to address the crisis and that alone could lead to a peaceful resolution. Outlining the concept, he said that the first step was of reconciliation between Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. “Do Kashmiri Muslims want their return and also do they [Kashmiri Pandits] want to return? We need to find that out. This can be possible only if we can bring together at least a 1,000 people who can ponder over the issue,” Prof. Mattoo said. “We should also see whether they are ready to forgive each other.”

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