PM should hold talks with Sharif at UN summit: PDP

Jammu and Kashmir's main Opposition PDP today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during the UN summit in Washington next month to de-escalate the tension along the LoC and carry forward peace process.
"I urge the Prime Minister to go ahead with the possible talks with his Pakistani counterpart in Washington during the UN meet. This meeting should be about averting the armed conflict and carrying forward the peace process built with tremendous contributions by both," PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed told reporters here.
Sayeed called for urgent de-escalation of tension along the Line of Control and International border, saying the situation highlights the need for a permanent resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue rather than giving in to war rhetoric.

"This meeting must be about restoring confidence between two sides (New Delhi and Islamabad) so that threads on Kashmir (issue) are picked up again for a permanent settlement. Let Washington meeting be a new milestone in statesmanship," he said.
The former chief minister of the state expressed hope that the two leaders will be able to overcome the difficulties created by "hawkish" elements in both the countries.
Sayeed said war is not a solution to any problem as it had been witnessed in 1947, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war of 1999 between India and Pakistan.

"War rooms, strategy meets or media centres have a role that unfortunately does not always take human misery into account while planning their actions or recommendations.

We want to convey to the leadership at the national level that people of Jammu and Kashmir are against war as it is they who have been suffering its fall out. We want peace on a permanent basis," he added.
"In pursuit of votes and power no party should seek to throw the country into another war. They must realise that there is a much larger constituency for peace that will never fall to jingoism," he said.