SRINAGAR: With nuclear arch rivals India and Pakistan agreeing to resume dialogue process, Jammu and Kashmir former chief minister and opposition National Conference working president Omar Abdullah on Monday appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to also start Delhi-Srinagar dialogue.
“We appeal the Modi government to start dialogue with the State too. We hope the way Modi government started dialogue with Pakistan, it starts dialogue with the State too,” Omar told reporters on sidelines of a function held at party’s headquarters in Srinagar.
He, however, did not specify whether he meant talks between New Delhi and separatists or New Delhi and J&K government.
Omar said the Kashmir issue has two dimensions – the internal dimension between New Delhi and State and the external dimension between New Delhi and Islamabad.
“Both the dimensions have to be taken care of. The issue will be resolved through talks on both the tracks but right now talks are underway on only one track between New Delhi and Islamabad,” he said adding talks between New Delhi and J&K is also important but so far there has been no movement in this regard.
India and Pakistan on December 9 agreed to resume a comprehensive bilateral dialogue to improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
Welcoming the resumption of dialogue process between India and Pakistan, Omar said he has no issues with talks between the two countries being held in a third country instead of New Delhi or Islamabad.
“It is a good step that dialogue has started. Our External Affairs Minister (Sushma Swaraj) visited Islamabad, started talks and an announcement has been made about a comprehensive dialogue process between the two countries,” he said.
Omar said J&K is a party to the talks on Kashmir even if India and Pakistan won’t make it a party on their own. “We are already party to the issue and they can’t make us a party as we are a party since this issue came into being.”
The former Chief Minister also took a dig at PDP-BJP government in J&K saying the coalition government had been exposed as a complete failure as misgovernance and corruption had become endemic in the State within just the first year of its tenure.
“Tall promises of the PDP-BJP government both on the governance front as well as the political front have been exposed as hollow rhetoric. There isn’t a single area or locality in the State today where people are not out on the roads protesting against the Government’s inefficiency and insensitivity. As for the political promises, the promises of AFSPA revocation, return of power projects, talks with separatists and the alleged ‘battle of ideas’ – every single promise has been abandoned”, added Omar.