Mufti wants India to have friendly relations with Pak

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has stressed the need for friendly relations between India and Pakistan, saying the strained relations between the two neighbouring countries were making the people of Jammu and Kashmir suffer.

“India has to be friendly with its neighbours, including Pakistan,” Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day at Zewan near Srinagar today.

Mufti recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s assertion that “we can change friends and not neighbours”, while he had extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan from Kashmir.

The Chief Minister said as against India, Pakistan was in search of a political model and was faced with the “battle for survival”.

Referring to “certain recent disturbing incidents” in the state, Mufti Sayeed said the acts of intolerance and hate were hitting core values of the country. He said “ours is a mixed culture…pluralism is the only option”, which had been shown by the people belonging to various political parties, including the Opposition.

“Even the Opposition has joined hands with us,” Mufti said in an overt reference to the peace resolution passed by the state Assembly during the autumn session earlier this month. He maintained that by passing the resolution equivocally, it was abundantly made clear that J&K was an embodiment of composite culture and harmony.

Former chief ministers and leaders of the opposition National Conference, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, ministers, legislators, Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar and other senior police officers were also present on the occasion.