Mirwaiz, Mehbooba welcome PM's 'embrace people of Kashmir' remark

Srinagar: Key separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti have welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that bullets and abuses will not help to resolve problems in Jammu & Kashmir.

“Na goli se, na gaali se, Kashmir ki samasya suljhe gi gale lagaane se (Kashmir problem will not be solved by bullets or abuses but only with embracing the people)”, the Prime Minister said in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort, Delhi, on Tuesday.

Welcoming it, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of Awami Action Committee – one of the two key factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference – tweeted, "Welcome. @narendramodi also believes 'goli and gali will not help resolve Kashmir. If insaniyat (humanity) and insaaf (justice) replace them, resolution can become a reality."

Mufti said she has all along believed that only dialogue and peaceful means can help resolve issues.

“The slogan ‘bandook say na goli say; baat banay gi boli say (neither gun nor bullet but talk will help resolving issues) coined by our party some 15 years ago is as relevant today as it was then,” she said in a statement in Srinagar.

The chief minister said she welcomes the Prime Minister’s statement and hopes Kashmir issue would be resolved amicably.

However, her predecessor and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah said that not just rhetoric but “concrete action” on ground would help towards seeking a peaceful resolution of Kashmir and the problems faced in the state.

“PM Modi’s words for Kashmir have been very well received by people here but everyone here is weary of yet more talk & no concrete action,” he tweeted.

In another tweet, he said “The proof of the pudding is in the eating. We look forward to being embraced in the warm grip of understanding, acceptance & respect.” He also said, “That respect must include respect for the unique status J&K enjoys within the Constitution of Indian that sets it apart from all other states."