Mehbooba suggests dialogue between Pakistan, India

• IHK chief minister hits out at Indian media for being anti-dialogue 

SRINAGAR: Chief Minister of Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) Mehbooba Mufti on Monday called for dialogue between Pakistan and India and said that war was not an option for the two South Asian countries.

Taking to Twitter, she said that talks were necessary to end the bloodshed. “Dialogue with Pakistan is necessary if we are to end the bloodshed. I know I will be labelled anti-national by news anchors tonight but that doesn’t matter,” she said.

“The Kashmiri people are suffering. We have to talk because war is not an option.” Later, speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Mehbooba hit out at some Indian media houses for labelling those favouring dialogues with Pakistan as anti-nationals.

“Unfortunately, (Indian) media houses have created an atmosphere that if we talk of dialogue (with Pakistan) then we are labelled anti-national,” she said, adding that there was no solution other than dialogue. In January, the chief minister reminded Pakistan about the promise to maintain peace along the Line of Control (LoC).

“We have to restart the reconciliation process with Pakistan and you (India) have a bigger role in the process in Jammu Kashmir,” she had said. In his recent interview, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi didn’t think there’s a possibility of war between Pakistan and India. “We always said that the door for talks with India is open,” he had said.

At the Karachi Literature Festival, former Indian minister Mani Shankar Aiyer also hailed Pakistan for seeking to resolve issues with India through dialogue, saying that New Delhi does not have this policy. “There is only one way of resolving India-Pakistan issues and that is by uninterrupted and uninterruptable dialogue,” he said.

The Indian politician said that he is “proud” of Pakistan for having this policy, however, regretted its non-reciprocation by New Delhi. He also said that both Pakistan and India should adopt a framework that was formulated by former president Pervez Musharraf’s government.