SRINAGAR, May 21:
Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi today came in for praise from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other leaders from the State for inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing in ceremony on May 26.
“Excellent move by @narendramodi to invite SAARC leaders, especially Pak PM for his swearing in. Hope this is beginning of sustained talks,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging website twitter.com.
People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, too, hailed the move, saying it was a “good omen”, while leader of the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, expressed hope that it would pave the way for meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Omar, whose party National Conference and its ally Congress failed to win any seats in the State in the just- concluded Lok Sabha elections, however, wondered how BJP would have reacted to a similar move by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had it been him who was the Prime Minister-designate.
“At the same time I can’t help wonder what BJP would have said if a PM designate Rahul Gandhi had done the same thing,” Omar said.
Mehbooba said Modi would perhaps be the first Prime Minister ever to invite a Pakistani premier to his swearing-in ceremony.
“It’s a good omen to invite Pakistan Prime Minister for Modi’s swearing-in. It’s a pleasant surprise and quite unbelievable,” said Mehbooba, who was elected to Lok Sabha from the Anantnag seat.
Mehbooba said that extending the invite for the swearing in to leaders of SAARC countries was a positive beginning.
“It’s the confidence of the mandate that Modi has got which has given him this confidence that he can do certain things which no other Prime Minister could do,” she said, adding that the initiative by the Prime Minister-elect would generate hope among the people in South Asia.
“It is encouraging to see Modi reaching out to our neighbours at the very beginning of his tenure as the Prime Minister. He has actually sent out an encouraging signal that he is serious about following (former PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s initiatives of friendship towards Pakistan,” Mehbooba later said in a release.
Expressing hope that the Pakistan Prime Minister would respond positively to the invite, Mehbooba said J&K is looking forward with renewed hope to a new beginning for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.
“Pakistan and Kashmir have historically been the two major challenges that all Prime Ministers have faced and it augurs well that Modi has recognised the importance of Pakistan as a neighbour at the outset and set the ball rolling for a meaningful engagement,” she said, adding that “this should not remain confined to cosmetics of an inaugural ceremony but must result in solid progress on the ground.”
Mehhbooba said that Kashmir could offer the window of opportunity for Modi to build a platform for an all-inclusive agenda as he needs to bridge the trust deficit with the minorities in the country.
“For that, the friendship with Pakistan and an understanding with that country is the essential first step … Modi with a strong mandate at his back is in a commanding position to take major initiatives (for peace) without facing any hurdle from the traditional hecklers,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq hoped that the invitation to the Pakistan Prime Minister for the swearing in would lead to sustained dialogue between the two countries.
“Hurriyat Conference welcomes this gesture and it has been our stand that if India and Pakistan come closer and there is an increase in confidence, it is a good sign. Unless both the countries come closer there will be no solution to Kashmir issue,” Mirwaiz told reporters here.
He said that the expectation was that the new Government at the Centre would focus on the resolution of the Kashmir issue on a priority basis.
“We hope it is not limited to sending out invitations (and) both countries should initiate a sustained dialogue and involve Kashmiri leadership for finding an everlasting solution to the issue,” he said. (PTI)
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