Kashmir remembers Vajpayee as PM who looked beyond politics to end Valley's woes

With his mantra of 'Insaniyat, 'Jamhooriyat' and 'Kashmiriyat', former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee endeared himself to the people of Kashmir who finally saw a leader willing to look beyond political calculations in his attempt to solve the vexed problem of the strife-torn valley.

People of the valley vividly remember Vajpayee as the man, who despite his Jan Sangh past, extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan and offered dialogue to the separatists in a historic speech here in April 2003.

"We are again extending the hand of friendship, but hands should be extended by both sides," Vajpayee said, the first such initiative by a prime minister of the country in many many years following the eruption of militancy in the state.

The 'hand of friendship' to Pakistan was a complete reversal to the earlier stand of his government of not engaging with Islamabad till cross-border terrorism continued. At the same rally, Vajpayee extended an olive branch to the separatists saying dialogue was the only way to resolve issues.

The sincerity of the effort immediately elevated Vajpayee's stature in the eyes of the common Kashmiri, who bore the brunt of decades of violence in the state.

Days later, Vajpayee elaborated on his Srinagar speech in the Lok Sabha. "Issues can be resolved if we move forward guided by the three principles of Insaniyat