J&K Governor promises dialogue with all groups, says will examine need to denotify disturbed areas

Vohra’s statements on dialogue, disturbed areas and special laws in the assembly were in line with what the PDP and BJP have agreed in their agenda for alliance.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra told the joint sitting of the Houses of the state assembly on Wednesday that the PDP-BJP coalition government would examine the need for denotifying disturbed areas, and initiate a process of dialogue with all political groups including the Hurriyat Conference.

The Governor was addressing the historic first sitting of the J&K assembly after the formation of the coalition government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed earlier this month.

Vohra said that in order to enlarge the constituency of peace and deepen its societal moorings, the coalition government would take well-considered political initiatives. He recalled that the previous NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had initiated a dialogue process with all political groups including the Hurriyat in the spirit of ‘insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and jamhooriyat’ (humanism, democracy and the sense of Kashmiri nationalism), and said the Mufti government would follow a similar approach.

The government, Vohra said, would “facilitate and help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all internal stakeholders, which will include all political groups irrespective of their ideological views and predilections”. The dialogue, Vohra said, would seek to build a
“broad-based consensus on the resolution of all outstanding issues” of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Governor referred to the progressive improvement in the security situation in the state in recent years, and said that the coalition government was committed to ensuring the people of J&K were “fully enabled to enjoy the dividends of peace and normalcy”. In this context, he said the government would thoroughly review all special laws that are currently in place in the state.

“Keeping in mind that the situation is speedily improving, the government will examine the need for denotifying disturbed areas, and this in turn will enable the central government to take a final view on the continuation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in such areas,” the Governor said.

Vohra’s statements on dialogue, disturbed areas and special laws in the assembly were in line with what the PDP and BJP have agreed in their agenda for alliance.

Referring to the recent initiatives of the central government to promote deeper understanding with India’s neighbours, Vohra said the J&K government would try to support and strengthen the Centre’s moves, and build stakes for all in furthering peace and development. This objective would be pursued through suitable confidence-building measures, which would bring about positive change in the lives of all people of Jammu and Kashmir.

At the beginning of the day, the BJP MLA from Gandhinagar constituency, Kavinder Gupta, was elected unopposed to the post of Speaker of the Assembly. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, while congratulating the Speaker, said that he now occupied a chair that had once been with Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq, the prime minister and, subsequently chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and was an exalted post. “You are now the custodian of not just your party, but of the whole House,” Mufti told Gupta. The Chief Minister pointed out that democracy is a “battle of ideas”, and hoped that the Speaker would give everyone, including the opposition, the opportunity to put forward their views and ideas.

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah congratulated the Speaker and said he hoped the Speaker would use his position to do justice in the House. M Y Tarigami of the CPI(M) told the Speaker that his position was more of “responsibility” than of “authority”. Tarigami quoted Jawaharlal Nehru to remind Gupta that the minority has an important role in a democracy. Speaker Gupta said that the endeavour of the House should be to strengthen secular and democratic traditions. A divisive agenda is always dangerous, he said, and should be avoided at all times. “Let us forget the past and attach our hopes to tomorrow,” Gupta said, and sought the cooperation of all members to ensure the smooth functioning of the House.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh of the BJP hoped that all members would stay true to the faith that their electors had reposed in them. Democracy in essence implies that we must learn to agree to disagree at times, he said. There were some noisy scenes in the House, especially at the beginning of the Governor’s address. Independent legislature Engineer Rashid interrupted the speech repeatedly, and National Conference lawmakers sought to know why the Centre had not responded to the previous government’s demand for Rs
40,000 crore as relief for the victims of last year’s devastating floods.

Speaking to reporters outside the House, Engineer Rashid demanded that the remains of Afzal Guru, the executed Parliament attack convict, be brought back to Kashmir. “It is inhuman, brutal that in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent India, even the dead body has not been returned to the family,” he said.

Source:: Indian Express