Srinagar, Oct 6 (KNS) : Former MLA Pahalgam Rafi Ahmad Mir has welcomed PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s recent call for political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to learn from Ladakh’s unity and come together on issues concerning the region, saying that such a collective approach is something he had advocated much earlier.

Mehbooba Mufti, speaking at the fifth Halla Bolle conclave in Srinagar, urged political parties to put aside their differences and form a common platform to jointly take up Jammu and Kashmir’s political, social and economic concerns with the Centre.

Welcoming the statement, Mir during a meeting with civil society stakeholders in Pahalgam said that J&K’s leadership must rise above party lines on issues affecting its people.

“I welcome Mehbooba Mufti’s call. I have been advocating this for a long time. Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford to speak to Delhi in fragmented voices when the issues before us concern the future of entire generation,” Mir said in a statement issued.

Mir recalled that he had also met National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah in the recent past and placed before him the need for political parties to come together and jointly pursue issues of larger public importance.

He said that during his interactions and public addresses, he had repeatedly stressed that political differences should not prevent leaders from finding common ground on issues that directly affect the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We can have our political differences. We can contest elections against each other. But when it comes to the larger questions concerning Jammu and Kashmir, we must be able to sit together, keep our differences aside and speak with one voice,” Mir said.

Referring to the experience of Ladakh, Mir said the political stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir should seriously examine whether a similar united approach could strengthen its engagement with the Centre.

He said issues concerning constitutional safeguards, statehood, domicile rules, economic concerns and the continued incarceration of young people in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir require sustained political engagement with the Centre.

“These are not issues that can be effectively pursued by one party or one leader alone. If all political parties sit together, identify these common issues and take a united delegation to the Centre, our collective voice will naturally carry greater political weight,” he said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Mir also said that the present approach, where the Chief Minister’s engagement with the Centre remains the principal channel for pursuing major political demands, had so far not produced the desired results on key issues.

“The Chief Minister has his own constitutional and political responsibilities, and we respect that. But if the engagement of the Chief Minister alone has not yielded the results that people are waiting for, then why should we not try a collective approach? Let all parties come together and engage with the Centre as representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mir said.

At the same time, Mir said the initiative could not succeed without the active participation of the Chief Minister and the ruling party.
“The Chief Minister will also have to show interest. This cannot become a political exercise of one party against another. If the idea is genuinely about Jammu and Kashmir, then everyone has to participate, including the government and the opposition,” he said.

Mir said the objective should not be to create another political alliance or undermine individual political parties, but to establish an issue based common platform on matters where a broad consensus is possible.

“Let us disagree where we must, but let us unite where the interests of Jammu and Kashmir demand it. The people should see their political leadership sitting together, not fighting among themselves, when important issues concerning their future are pending before the Centre,” he said.

Mir said Mehbooba Mufti’s reference to Ladakh had once again brought the question of political unity into public debate and hoped that all political parties would respond to the idea in the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir.

“If Ladakh can demonstrate that unity can become a means of pursuing collective demands, Jammu and Kashmir should at least have the political maturity to explore the same path.”

Mir said the test now was whether the political class could move beyond statements and actually sit across the table.
“Let us sit together first. Let us identify what we can agree upon. Let us prepare a common memorandum and go to the Centre together. If we genuinely want results, this is worth trying.”(KNS)