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Mehbooba Mufti backs Hosabale on people-to-people contact with Pakistan
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PDP President Mehbooba Mufti addresses the gathering during a workers convention, in Srinagar district, on May 17, 2026. | “The solution to Kashmir lies in dialogue and within the framework of the Constitution. Whatever we have to achieve needs to be done from Delhi and here (Jammu and Kashmir). We believe in engagement and talks. We seek peace with dignity,” Mr. Mehbooba said at a party workers' convention in Srinagar.The former J&K Chief Minister welcomed Mr. Hosabale's statement on the need for dialogue and people-to-people contact with Pakistan, which was endorsed by former Army chief M.M. Naravane.In an interview with PTI Videos recently, the RSS general secretary said Pakistan's military and political leadership have lost India's confidence, and it is time for civil society to lead the way, “because we have a cultural relation and we have been one nation”.“What Hosabale has said now is what (PDP founder) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed advocated till his last breath. Open our roads leading to the other side of Kashmir… Pakistan, China and Central Asia. If (Narendra) Modi ji wants to carve a name for himself, he should resolve the Kashmir issue and involve Pakistan in the process,” Ms. Mufti said.Noting that the Prime Minister should initiate a dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir for a resolution to the Kashmir issue and involve Pakistan in the process, Ms. Mufti said, “I am not saying that Narendra Modi has done nothing for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. He visited Lahore in 2016, but it was followed by the Pathankot attack. Pakistan will have to respond positively to any efforts of outreach from India.”Delhi will have to listen to the voice of Kashmiris, she added.“Mufti Mohammad Sayeed used to say that even if we build roads of gold and bridges of silver, they will be of no use if the Kashmir issue is not resolved. Development is good, but talks can make you a statesman for peace in the region and South Asia. Peace in Kashmir can show the way forward,” the PDP chief said.Calling for the release of political detainees ahead of Eid at the end of the month, Ms. Mufti said freeing prisoners would be the first real confidence-building measure that would send a strong message of reconciliation and healing to the people of Kashmir.Former Army chief Gen. Naravane too supported Mr. Hosabale's stand for fostering dialogue and people-to-people connections with Pakistan, saying such engagements are "important"."The common man has nothing to do with politics. When there is friendship between two persons, there will also be friendship between two nations. People-to-people contact is important,” Gen. Naravane told PTI on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). Published - May 17, 2026 06:03 pm IST
PDP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti. File | Ms. Mufti said “talks are the only headway” to address the issues between the two countries.“We welcome the RSS general secretary’s statement advocating keeping a window of dialogue open with Pakistan. This vindicates the PDP’s stand and that of its founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who always advocated for dialogue with Pakistan and believed that the situation in Kashmir could improve and a return to permanent peace was possible if the two countries engage with each other,” said Ms. Mufti.She was reacting to Mr. Hosabale’s interview with a wire service where he recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approach towards Pakistan and underlined that “we should not close the doors and should always be ready to engage in dialogue” with Pakistan. He also referred to diplomatic relations, trade, and commerce as examples of how a window for dialogue remains open between the two countries. He referenced Mr. Vajpayee’s statement, that “friends can be changed but not neighbours”, Ms. Mufti said her party backed the current stand of the RSS and advocated “negotiations between the two countries to see the region prospering”.She said there were lessons to be learnt from the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, where “eventually even the U.S., a superpower, had to engage with Iran, which is not so powerful.”Parallel dialogueMs. Mufti also welcomed recent reports that retired Indian and Pakistani diplomats and military officers had taken part in a dialogue. “If this is formalised, we will see a positive impact in Kashmir too. We saw that when former PM Manmohan Singh initiated dialogue with Pakistan, militancy fell and people felt at ease. Unfortunately, there is a sense of suffocation currently in Kashmir,” said Ms. Mufti.She said there are indications that both sides are realising ˍˍˍ especially the RSS, and in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor ˍˍ that “talks are the only headway” to resolve issues. The former J&K CM expressed concern over the continued “crackdown against locals” in Kashmir. “Local Muslim employees are being terminated over allegations of being anti-national. Houses are being bulldozed. Anyone who posts on social media is summoned to police stations. Schools are being labelled anti-national and demolished,” said Ms. Mufti. She said we need to identify other means than the use of the UAPA and Public Safety Act. “There are reports that jails in Kashmir are full and youth are being shifted outside, in the wake of an anti-drug campaign. We advocate action against drug peddlers but spare the houses,” she added. Published - May 13, 2026 11:24 pm IST
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