'Peoples Conference favours constructive engagement to resolve Kashmir issue: Lone

Separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Lone Sunday said his party, People's Conference, favours constructive engagement for resolution of the Kashmir problem for a lasting peace in the region.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has a role to control the situation but the solution is not available with our assembly At the political level, it is the central government which has a bigger role and then it spans across the Line of Control (LoC) as well.

We are in favour of it and it should be done through constructive engagement, Lone told reporters while welcoming several prominent persons to his party fold here.

The people who joined Lone's party included former MLA Zanskar Syed Mohammad Baqir Rizvi, Peoples Democratic Party's additional spokesperson Abhijeet Jasrotia, laywers Abrar Ahmad and Irfan Inquilabi from Poonch and Ashish Pandita.

He said the state assembly does not have the power to resolve Kashmir issue.

If I promise you a solution of the conflict on the basis of a vote which is inadequate to resolve it, it will tantamount to lying (to the people). This is beyond the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as the provincial government has a limited role to control the symptoms, which is violence, said the People's Conference leader, flanked by former minister Imran Ansari.

He said the People's conference is not against the constructive engagement or dialogue to resolve the issue.

The constructive engagement of any sort on the conflict is not a substitute to reach out to the people of the state. Two measures are there to address any conflict the operational which the Army and the police are taking care of and the second one is structural which is not based on dialogue alone," he said.

He said the central government should have a long time strategy on reaching out to the J&K people across the state.

When I say reach out, it does not mean economic doles, it means engaging and removing the mistrust and when you speak about the conflict resolution, you never talk in days and years but it takes decades. The state assembly has a six-year tenure while the conflict resolution takes decades, he said.

Replying to a question about the lack of measures by the BJP-led government at the Centre to address the Kashmir problem, Lone shot back, Why only five years, let us talk about 15, 20 and 25 years.

I am saying there should be a long time strategy. The Manmohan Singh-led government have done no wonders. What type of dialogue or engagement he held? The working group were formed and I prepared a roadmap under the name of 'Achievable Nationhood' on their direction but they refused to acknowledge it. Instead, it was shelved."
He asked, "Who called the media to the guest house where dialogue was scheduled between militants and the government. All the three (Hizbul Mujahideen militant commanders involved in the dialogue) were killed. Who is sabotaging?