Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that India and Pakistan came closer to resolving the Kashmir issue during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government and he is not expecting a return to the situation in his lifetime.
During obituary references to Singh and four other former legislators on the first day of the Budget Session of the J&K Assembly which started here, Abdullah lavished praise on Singh and said he practically initiated measures for the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits and his working groups are still relevant.
The Assembly observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former minister Syed Ghulam Hussain Geelani, former Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Manhas and former MLAs Ghulam Hassan Parrey and Choudhary Piara Singh who died after the last assembly session in November.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather moved the obituary reference after Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address. Several members including Sham Lal Sharma (BJP), G A Mir (Congress) and M Y Tarigami (CPIM) also spoke in the House.
“In the last assembly session (in Srinagar), we had a long list headed by former prime minister A B Vajpayee and now after four months, we have a short list headed by another former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who has made an immense contribution for the country,” the chief minister said.
Abdullah talked about Singh’s journey from a village, which is now in Pakistan, to becoming the Prime Minister of India and his contributions towards making India an economic power by introducing reforms especially related to private sector and social welfare measures.
On J&K, “he tried to address the problem with the outside country (Pakistan). He did not make this initiative but inherited it as the start was made by Vajpayee and (then Pakistan president Gen Pervez) Musharraf. He would have stopped the initiative after taking over as the prime minister (in 2004), but he was well aware that the initiative taken by Vajpayee is a big responsibility to carry forward,” the chief minister said.
Singh made sincere efforts despite the deteriorating situation, he said, in an apparent reference to terror incidents.
“May I say that both the countries have come closer to resolving this (Kashmir) problem during that period and I do not see a return to the situation in my lifetime,” Abdullah said.
He said when the situation deteriorated in 2010, Singh tried to heal the wounds by setting up working groups, whether related to politics or meant to improve governance, and they are still relevant.
Singh had constituted five working groups on Jammu and Kashmir to grab the initiative for ushering in a phase of development by creating conditions of permanent peace in the state.
Referring to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Abdullah said everyone is talking about the community but practical steps for their welfare were taken by the Singh-led government.
“He introduced job reservation for the community in Kashmir and we persuaded them. There was no such effort from anyone else,” he said, adding he provided relief to Pandits by setting up Jagti township in Jammu for the community members who were living in tents.
Abdullah said the Lt Governor talked about improved infrastructure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. He said it was Singh who gifted this four-lane project to J&K.
The chief minister also spoke about the railway project to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country and said, “We are waiting for the Prime Minister to inaugurate the service and I hope this will happen within days.”
Abdullah said he had accompanied the former prime minister to inaugurate the Banihal section of the rail link.
Work on the Chenab bridge, the highest railway bridge in the world, started during his time but “he, unfortunately, is not among us today to travel on the bridge. At least, he will have the satisfaction that the work started by him was completed by the present dispensation,” Abdullah said.
He said Singh was the most misunderstood leader and was right in saying that history would judge him more kindly.
Praising Singh’s “down to earth” personality, the chief minister said when the situation deteriorated in Kashmir in 2016, he was not at the helm but was there for the people to listen to them.
Remembering an instance during his previous stint as chief minister, Abdullah said he was also prompt in apologising when something had gone wrong from his side.
“I had written a letter to him (Singh) and he was told that I had leaked the contents during an interview which I clarified after he telephoned me. As soon as he realised the mistake, he promptly telephoned and said sorry.”
Earlier, Tarigami while paying tributes to the leaders said the question remains as to how to improve relations between India and Pakistan so that both countries can live in peace.
BJP’s Sharma said the roadmap for India’s economy was laid by Singh, making it possible for the country to become the fifth biggest economy in the world.
