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Pro-India IHK leaders ask Delhi to show restraint

* Former IHK chief minister Farooq Abdullah says it is improper to blame Pakistan without probe
* Mufti Sayeed says Mumbai attack a test for Indian, Pakistani leadership

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: Pro-India parties in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) have called for restraint and asked the Indian government not to derail the relationship with Pakistan.

Two former IHK chief ministers - Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohamamd Sayeed - have asked New Delhi to resist embarking on ‘punitive measures’ against Pakistan, as it was bound to cast a shadow on IHK.

National Conference leader Abdullah, who attended the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late on Sunday, said it was not proper to blame Pakistan directly.

Blame: “It is a matter of proper investigation how terrorists reached Mumbai using the sea route. Without completing investigations, it is improper to blame Pakistan,” he said.

He called for strengthening the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism (JATM) to fight terrorism together in South Asia. He said it appeared Islamabad was not involved in the Mumbai attacks.

‘’How can Pakistan be involved in the Mumbai terrorist attacks when their Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was touring India to discuss terrorism and other issues?” he asked.

He said peace in South Asia was not possible unless India and Pakistan joined hands. He asked New Delhi to accelerate the peace process, instead of resorting to rhetoric.

Testing time: People’s Democratic Party patron Mufti Sayeed said the Mumbai terrorist attacks were a test for the leadership of India and Pakistan.

“In this depressing scenario, South Asia’s security and stability would largely depend on how the leadership of India and Pakistan confronts the challenge,” he said in a statement.

He asked the Indian government to appreciate the positive signals emanating from IHK and ensure that the Mumbai events do not result in any kind of confrontation in South Asia.

“It is my firm belief that a solution to all problems in the region is possible only within a space provided by co-operation and reconciliation between India and Pakistan,” he said.

Sayeed said it would be disastrous to fall into the trap laid by the enemies of peace. He said the Mumbai attacks necessitated a joint response from India and Pakistan to ensure that the disruptive elements are not able to sabotage the peace process or weaken the forces of reconciliation in the region.

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