Reaching out to separatists, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday invited their top leaders for talks with the all party delegation that is due to arrive in Srinagar on Sunday to help seek a peaceful resolution of the problems facing the state.
Mehbooba wrote letters to the leaders in her capacity as People's Democratic Party chief, seeking their cooperation by engaging with the delegation to be led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
"I write to you in my capacity as the President of the J&K People's Democratic Party and request you to take the lead and engage with the all party delegation of Parliamentarians visiting the state.
"This will be the start of a credible and meaningful political dialogue and resolution process to end the stalemate," Mehbooba wrote in the letter addressed to the separatist leaders.
She said cutting across party lines and political positions, the country's political leadership has reached out and "it is for us to collectively lend it credence and credibility."
"All of us, be it the mainstream political parties or political groups with a separatist agenda, voice the urges and aspirations of our people, as we understand those, and seek a resolution of the problems as we see them from our own perspectives.
"I do hope that you will give this suggestion of mine a thought and indicate a time and place of your convenience for an exchange of ideas with the delegation."
Mehbooba said her party has always believed that the Hurriyat Conference is a stakeholder in the peace, resolution and prosperity of the state.
Indeed, right in the beginning in our party's founding declaration we stood for dialogue with all stakeholders as the only way forward, she said.
"All of us are deeply concerned, albeit in our own way, about the existing situation in the Valley. Notwithstanding the fact that you and I have different and divergent political ideologies, I have no doubt that all of us have the best interest of the people of J&K in mind."
"True, our politics and programmes are at variance with each other, but our concerns for our people and society in general, and the future of our youth in particular, should not be any different," she added.
Mehbooba said when her party formed an alliance with the Congress, the cornerstone of their Common Minimum Programme was dialogue with parties of all ideological hues.
"This was later followed by an unconditional dialogue, under the leadership of the then Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with Deputy Prime Minster, L K Advani".
Mehbooba said in the PDP manifesto for the last Parliamentary election, it was clearly mentioned that her party will seek the resolution of the issue taking Hurriyat Conference on board. The same was reiterated in the manifesto for assembly election.
"Indeed, even in the Agenda of Alliance, which is the basis of our government formation with our alliance partners, the Bharatiya Janata Party, it has been made clear that the State Government will create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues and will help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all the stakeholders, including all political groups in J&K irrespective of their ideological views and predilections to build a broad based consensus on resolution of all outstanding issues of J&K," she said.
Mehbooba said in order to convert the conviction and commitment of a peaceful and prosperous J&K into reality, it is important that "you share your thoughts and beliefs with this distinguished group who represent the people of India and not only the government of India."
