Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir on Tuesday called for meaningful dialogue with Pakistan, saying talks are the only way forward in heralding lasting peace in the region.
“Peace will remain elusive until the two neighbours (India and Pakistan) sit together and work towards ending their differences in an amicable atmosphere,” Mir told a protest rally against hike in prices of fuel and other essential commodities in Rajouri district.
He appealed to the Centre to engage with Pakistan in “meaningful talks” and said, “Wars are no solution and only cause destruction.”
He said the border skirmishes in the recent past have created havoc, with people living under perpetual fear.
The firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) stopped last month after India and Pakistan agreed to uphold the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
Mir said dialogue is “the only way forward in heralding lasting peace in the region.”
He said the beneficiaries of the peace in the wake of friendly relations between the two countries would be people of Jammu and Kashmir.
JKPCC chief, several Congress workers briefly detained in Rajouri
JKPCC president G A Mir was detained on Tuesday along with senior party leaders and workers during a protest against the hike in prices of petrol and other essential commodities in Rajouri district, a party spokesman said.
Prominent among those taken into preventive custody included JKPCC vice president Raman Bhalla, former legislators Ravinder Sharma and Ashok Sharma, former minister and District Development Council (DDC) vice chairman Shabir Khan, the spokesman said.
An official said dozens of Congress activists, including Mir, were detained briefly to maintain law and order.
JKPCC chief spokesman Ravinder Sharma said a contingent of police personnel stopped the Congress activists led by Mir from marching towards the office of Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri and later the top leadership along with hundreds of workers were arrested.
Earlier addressing the protesters, Mir said the BJP’s claim of providing ‘pro-people’ governance stands exposed as the central government has allegedly failed miserably to address the issues affecting the public.
“The common man is going through the worst sufferings under the current dispensation, which has sold its soul to few businessmen, ignoring the agonies of the countrymen,” he alleged.
The Congress leader said the country is presently going through a state of crisis.
“The graph of the inflation is on a constant rise, the fuel prices have touched the sky, and lakhs of farmers across the country are protesting for repeal of three farm laws aiming to snatch their right over their own lands.
“The victims of these three issues are the common men, the countrymen who are the true sons of the soil,” he said.
The JKPCC chief dwelt upon a volley of subjects and expressed concern over “vicious political environment” across the country, describing division of people on the basis of religion for votes as “dangerous”.
“The votes should be sought on the plank of nation building, development, upliftment of poor and not by exploiting religion,” he said, adding the youth have to play a crucial role by negating and isolating all such forces which hoodwink them by generating fear about “religion being in danger”.
Expressing dismay over the functioning of the government in Jammu and Kashmir led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the party’s J&K chief accused the administration of working against the interests of the people.
“Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a most difficult phase with the insensitive BJP government pursuing anti-poor policies,” he said.
Mir accused BJP of plunging Jammu and Kashmir into uncertainty and said their inherent contradictions can lead to unprecedented political crisis.
