Mehbooba Mufti meeting family of Mashooq Ahmed, firing victim of Kund, Kulgam in Kashmir.
After 57 days of unrest in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today visited the family of a victim of security forces firing in Kulgam district and said everyone should strive for peace in the state.
"Visited the family of late Mashooq Ahmed, firing victim of Kund, Kulgam and offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," Ms Mufti said in a Facebook post.
This is first time the Chief Minister visited the residence of any of the people killed in the violence. She had earlier met some of the families of firing victims on July 21 in south Kashmir but the meeting was arranged in a government place.
The Chief Minister also posted a short video and photographs, taken during her interaction with the bereaved family on her Facebook page.
"The loss of human lives is a colossal tragedy and every one should strive for peace in J&K," she wrote.
Over 70 people have died in the unrest that was triggered a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
Reiterating the urgency of initiating dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister called for engaging all sections of the society in a credible and meaningful political process for the resolution of the issue.
The country's political leadership must, without any further delay, reach out and engage all sections of the society including the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference in a productive dialogue process to resolve the issue and make peace a reality in Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Mufti said while interacting with people at Mashooq's residence.
The Chief Minister said it is perhaps for the first time that the Kashmir issue has been, during the past two months, discussed in so many forums and at so many levels including parliament and at all-party meetings where judicious views were put across by all shades of the country's political opinion on how to end the stalemate.
The need of the hour is to build on this larger political consensus within the country and initiate tangible measures to address the issue, she said.
During her meeting with the Prime Minister last month, she suggested a three-pronged approach including talks with all sections of society within Jammu and Kashmir including the separatist leadership and also with Pakistan to put the reconciliation and resolution process back on track, Ms Mufti said.
She expressed the hope that the upcoming visit of the all-party delegation to the state will facilitate revival of the much-needed peace and resolution process in and around Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister said that the people of the state have given the present government the mandate to voice their urges and aspirations and seek resolution of the problems by involving all the stakeholders in a productive dialogue process.
The same has been reiterated in the Agenda of Alliance wherein it has been made clear that the state government will create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues and will help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all the stakeholders, including all political groups in Jammu and Kashmir irrespective of their ideological views and predilections to build a broad based consensus on resolution of all outstanding issues of the state, she said.
Referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi s latest statement that the seeds of the current unrest in Kashmir were sown during Independence and a solution to the problem will be found, Ms Mufti said the prevailing situation in Kashmir presents not just a challenge, but also an opportunity to the Prime Minister to take some bold measures towards resolution of the issue and make India more at peace not only with its neighbours, but also with itself.
Ms Mufti also added: "Right now Kashmir is again embroiled in a burning situation and we have hope that all sides will pick up elements of sanity and pragmatism and strike a new benchmark towards the resolution of the problem in light of the global and sub-continental realities.".
While the separatist leadership shall also have to take a step forward, the centre on its part shall have to put off the fire on internal discontent, Ms Mufti said.
Maintaining that the people of the state have always responded positively to the initiatives in improving the security situation, she said the fact that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the biggest custodians of its interests has to be recognised to completely end the atmosphere of trust deficit.
"We have to work with compassion and through a humanitarian approach to reach out to and support the families who have lost their near and dear ones to the violence in prevailing situation and support them in living a dignified life," the chief minister said adding that the government won't be seen wanting in this endeavour as most of the victims of the current unrest belong to the poorest of the poor families.