Welcoming the deferring of decision by the Election Commission on J&K polls, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said the party's stand that the situation in the State is not conducive for elections has been vindicated.
In a statement issued here today, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said it has been her party's considered view that before embarking on any electoral process in the State, the Government must take concrete measures to address the just concerns and aspirations of the people to rebuild their confidence.
"While the proposed October 21 opening of Srinagar-Muzzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawlakote roads for trade is a significant measure towards addressing the external dimensions of the Kashmir issue, we have to move equally fast and with determination to address the internal dimensions of the problem as well," Ms Mufti said.
She said internally the Government must reach out to the people of Jammu & Kashmir with reconciliatory and confidence building measures addressing their political, economic and administrative concerns.
Ms Mufti said the killing of around 60 unarmed protesters by the security agencies, mass arrests of youth and political activists, destruction of properties and various other repressive measures in the aftermath of the agitation over the Amarnath land row, have inflicted deep scars on the people's psyche that would take some time to heal.
"While the deferring of polls is a welcome step, the Government must now initiate a sustained process of engagement and reconciliation to rebuild the people's confidence," Ms Mufti said and added that the components of such a process should besides initiating dialogue with various sections of the society, include cutting the strength of troops deployed on the internal security duties, revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and rehabilitation of the victims of violence and other confidence building measures as have been recommended by the Prime Minister's Working Groups on Jammu & Kashmir, otherwise the peace process will have no meaning for the people.
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