Jammu: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on November 18 called for a
"multi-pronged strategy with a human touch" to tackle the situation in Jammu and
Kashmir and pledged to respect people's mandate by restoring peace in the state with
honour and dignity.
In his first address to the joint meeting of the Unified Headquarters of Jammu and
Srinagar in Jammu, Sayeed, who is its chairman, asked the security forces to help
create a situation congenial for a dialogue to herald an era of lasting peace in the
state.
He said his government was keen to initiate a political process involving all parties
and groups within the state to solve the problem and to strive for consensus at the
national level on the issue.
"Democracy is a battle of ideas. There is no room for gun in a democratic
dispensation in which we are living. We are ready to hear anyone's views and put
across ours in true democratic spirit," he said.
"The recent elections have, for the first time, restored people's faith in democratic
process, putting an end to the general apprehension in the Valley that they did not
even have the basic right of electing representatives as Delhi was seen to be the
ultimate deciding factor," Sayeed said.
"This mind-set has been changed thanks to the free and fair elections ensured by the
Election Commission," he said.
"The commitment made by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort has been
fulfilled and this has thrown up an opportunity which none of us would like to
waste."
PTI
