J&K CM for revival of Lahore Declaration

Says India incomplete without Jammu and Kashmir

Pitching for the revival of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's “Lahore Declaration” to foster peace between India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Saturday sought “freedom” for Kashmiris who she said “have been caged” by blocking of various routes.

“Peace between the two neighbouring countries as envisaged in the Lahore declaration during Vajpayeeji’s tenure is still the best way forward to move in Indo-Pak relationship,” she said while speaking at the foundation day rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that her late father founded in 1999.

Mehbooba, who addressed her first major political rally after last year's unrest in the valley, said that India was incomplete without Jammu and Kashmir. “JK is the crown of India. It needs to be respected as India is incomplete without Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

The Chief Minister sought opening of traditional trade routes of Kashmir with Pakistan. “Traditional roads between Jammu and Sialkot (in Pakistan), Kargil and Skardu and Nowshera and Jhanger should be opened rather than closing them,” she said.

Mehbooba vowed that she will not let trade across the volatile Line of Control with Pakistan be halted. The trade between the two sides was stopped on July 21 after police seized a huge quantity of narcotics from a truck operating from PoK. “Such things happen at Wagah border as well, drug consignments have been caught many times but trade has never been stopped. It cannot happen here, we won’t allow it,” she said and pitched for using full body scanners for cross LoC trade trucks so that “we know what is coming in and what is going out from here.”

Hinting her disapproval to the Centre’s approach to contain the unrest in the state by security measures and economic packages alone, she said, “You can’t imprison an idea, you can’t kill an idea.”

Mehbooba, who is also the president of ruling PDP, spoke about student exchanges so that children living on either side of the Line of Control could get to know each other better and even filling up 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly - meant for the territory under Pakistan's occupation - that have remained vacant.

She also appealed political parties including National Conference (NC), Congress, BJP and others to sit together and find a solution to the problems, which people of Kashmir are currently facing. “My appeal to NC, Congress, BJP, Communists and others is let’s sit together and resolve our issues,” Mehbooba said.