Leaders in Valley hail Nawaz invite
Various Kashmiri leaders, including chief minister Omar Abdullah and chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have welcomed Prime Minister- designate Narendra Modi’s move to invite Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif for his swearing- in ceremony, asserting this will bring the two South Asian neighbours close which could also pave the pave to amicable solutions of bilateral issues.
Mr Abdullah termed the invitation move “excellent”, hoping it would be the beginning of sustained talks between India and Pakistan. “Excellent move by @ narendramodi to invite SAARC leaders, especially Pak PM for his swearing in. Hope this is beginning of sustained talks,” he wrote on microblogging site Twitter.
He, however, also wondered as to how Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) would have reacted if the Congress was re- elected and invited Mr Sharif.
“At the same time, I can’t help wonder what the BJP would have said if a PM designate ( Congress vicepresident) Rahul Gandhi had done the same thing,” he wrote. Mirwaiz Umar, who heads a perceived moderate faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference alliance, told reporters, “We welcome Mr Modi’s extending invitation to Mr Sharief. We believe such moves and gestures will work towards strengthening mutual trust and the two neighbours will come closer and all this will help in seeking peaceful and amicable solutions to all problems and issues, including Kashmir.”
The Opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party ( PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from home constituency Anantnag, said, “This is a positive beginning that would generate hope among the people belonging to the large peace constituency in South Asia.”
She added, “It is encouraging to see Mr Modi reaching out to his neighbours at the very beginning of his tenure as the Prime Minister. He has actually sent out an encouraging signal that he is serious to follow the Atal Behari Vajpayee initiatives of friendship towards Pakistan.”
Expressing hope that the Pakistan Prime Minister, who already has extended invitation to Mr Modi to visit his country, would respond positively to the invite, Ms Mufti said Jammu and Kashmir looked up with renewed hope to a new beginning on resolution of Kashmir. “Nawaz Sharif has already been part of a significant initiative on Indo- Pak front when he hosted Vajpayee in Lahore and should now respond positively to the Modi invite as also the loud clamour for peace in his own country that is facing tremendous problems of violence,” she said.