Lone: Dialogue not the only way to resolve K-issue

Says assembly has limited role

JAMMU : Former minister Sajad Gani Lone has pointed out that 'dialogue' is not the only measure to resolve the vexed Kashmir issue and state assembly has a very limited role in the matter, Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairman said in a presser on Sunday.

Over the statement of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on granting 'regional autonomy' if voted to power, Lone said, “They (NC) have been lying to the people since 1947. J&K is a sum of many parts, including, people, society, economics and conflict and it is beyond J&K assembly to find the resolution of conflict and the provincial government has limited role like controlling violence. At political level, it is the Central government which has the bigger role to play and it also spans across the Line of Control as well. There is a little this assembly can do. It can control the conflict up to some level.”

As per the NC'S autonomy resolution, J&K state will have complete autonomy on all the issues except defence, foreign policy and communication, which will lie with the Centre.

Batting for constructive engagement with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Lone said, “Constructive engagement of any sought over the conflict is not a substitute to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. There are two measures to resolve a conflict, including, one at the operational level in which army and police play the role while other is the structural measure, of which, dialogue is one of the part. But dialogue is not the only part. My point is that structural measure should not remain confined to dialogue only.”

Lone said, “Importantly, the Government of India should have a long term strategy to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and those reach-out should not be through economic doles. But it should be engaging and removing the trust deficit.”