Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 12: Amid renewed tensions along the Line of Control, the Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) today said that civilians continue to suffer the most, a reality, party said, the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had repeatedly warned about.
“Every time conflict escalates between India and Pakistan, it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who pay the highest price – with their lives, homes, livelihoods, and dignity,” senior PDP leader Mohammad Sartaj Madni said in a statement.
He cited Mufti Sayeed’s well-known assertion that peace in Kashmir could not come through “force”, but only through “dialogue.”
Quoting the late leader’s phrase – “Na grenade se, na goli se, baat banegi boli se” (Not through grenades, not through bullets, but through dialogue will peace be achieved) – Madni said Mufti Sayeed’s politics were rooted in reconciliation, not confrontation.
Madni described Mufti as a “torchbearer of peace and democratic values” who offered a fresh political alternative in Jammu and Kashmir through the founding of the PDP – one grounded in dignity, empathy, and public aspirations.
“He understood that Kashmir was being reduced to a battleground for competing narratives and military postures. He strongly believed that unless New Delhi and Islamabad shifted focus from aggression to conversation, true peace would remain elusive,” Madni said.
He added that the late leader saw Kashmir not as a “zone of conflict” but as a potential bridge of peace between India and Pakistan.
“Peace in Kashmir, he believed, is not just essential for this region, but for the stability of the entire subcontinent.”
According to Madni, Mufti Sayeed’s legacy continues to inspire those who believe in engaging people through dialogue rather than “suppressing dissent.”
“His life and message remain a timeless reminder that strength lies in compassion, and that healing must begin with honest listening,” he said.
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