India-Pakistan dialogue push gains steam in held Kashmir too

ISLAMABAD: Just days after the first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq, calls for dialogue with Pakistan have grown in India, with several leaders in India-held Kashmir among the latest to support efforts to end hostilities between the neighbouring nuclear powers. Former chief ministers of India-held Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have backed the recent demand by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Secretary General Dattatreya Hosabale for the Indian government to hold peace talks with Pakistan, alongside promoting people-to-people contact between the two countries. According to India’s NDTV report, both Abdullah and Mufti have faced criticism in the past for advocating talks with Pakistan amid deepening hostilities between the two countries. However, the situation appears to be different this time. “It is a very significant move that the RSS leader called for talks with Pakistan, and a former army chief [retired Gen Manoj Naravane] has backed his statement. I am glad that somebody is now realising that war is not an option. Dialogue is essential and we must always pursue it to resolve our problems,” said Abdullah. Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti among those backing Hosabale’s proposal Mufti said the RSS leader’s statement vindicates her party’s position. “It vindicates the stand of the PDP [Peoples Democratic Party] that if we are to bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir, the window for dialogue must remain open,” she said. Sajad Kargili, leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, said: “As residents of the border region of Kargil, we greatly value initiatives that help foster better relations with our neighbours.” In an interview with Press Trust of India aired on May 12, Hosabale said there “should always be a window for dialogue” between Pakistan and India, describing people-to-people contact as key to breaking the deadlock in bilateral ties. Responding to a query, Hosabale said: “If Pakistan acts like a pinprick by creating incidents such as Pulwama, we must res