Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the Kashmir issue should not be seen through the security prism alone and called upon the political leadership of the country to invest in peace in the state and own the pain and suffering of the people.
Addressing party workers from Ganderbal district, she said people of Jammu and Kashmir should not be given to feel that their dignity is being undermined.
"The Kashmir issue should not be seen through the security prism alone and the country's political leadership needs to invest in J&K's peace and own and acknowledge the pain and sufferings of its people," she said.
Maintaining that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have huge stakes in peace and stability in the region, she said her PDP would continue its efforts to seek larger political consensus for the peaceful resolution of the issues facing the state.
"There has to be a larger political consensus on how to meet the challenges confronting Jammu and Kashmir and make this a turning point in the state's turbulent history so that our future generations do not have to suffer the miseries of violence and bloodshed," Mehbooba said.
"PDP strongly believes that the fast-changing equations in the region offer the country's leadership, not just a challenge, but also a great opportunity to take a giant step towards making India more at peace not only with its neighbors, but also with itself," she said.
Mehbooba asked Pakistan to take concrete confidence building measures towards reviving the peace and reconciliation process in the region to end the miseries of the people.
Maintaining that there is no alternative to reconciliation, Mehbooba said the people in all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir have to suffer enormous human tragedies and economic losses because of the hostility in the region.
While people living along the borders in Jammu region suffer and live under the constant threat of cross-border shelling, the people in Kashmir valley are suffering because of the continued internal strife and recurrent violence, the chief minister said.
She said concrete measures shall have to be taken to address the causes of alienation and cynicism and at the same time revive the process of intra-state and inter-state reconciliation and confidence building.
"We shall have to ponder over the emerging situation in the state and go deep into the reasons for mounting alienation especially among the educated youth," Mehbooba added.
The chief minister said despite passing through the "darkest era" of its history, the state's main source of confidence is the substantial potential of building upon its young and enterprising human resource.
"It is heartening to note that even after having gone through the most difficult times, our young boys and girls are doing us proud in whatever field they take a plunge," she said.
