Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he shared the pain and frustration of the Kashmiri people. He also appealed to the people and representatives of all political parties to stop violence and send their children back to schools and colleges.
The Prime Minister also announced setting up of an expert committee to lay out a road map for jobs in the state involving both the public and private sectors.
“Nothing will give me greater satisfaction than to see a permanent and just settlement of all outstanding issues that protects the honour and self-respect of all sections of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Singh said in a televised speech in Urdu.
“But even with the best of these intentions, I cannot say that a complex problem that has defied resolution for 63 years can be solved easily or quickly. We need patience, wisdom and a spirit of conciliation to guide us through ups and downs in the process. I urge the people of Jammu and Kashmir to give peace a chance,” he added.
He said the state was emerging from an insurgency and peace needed to be nurtured. “But I recognise that the key to the problem is a political solution that addresses the alienation and emotional needs of the people. This can only be achieved through a sustained internal and external dialogue. We are ready for this,” he said.
