Former J&K Congress chief Prof Saifudin Soz on Tuesday offered a political solution to the vexed Kashmir issue by advocating “merger” of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s four-point formula with the 1952 Delhi agreement.
Addressing a press conference, Soz said the ongoing uprising in Kashmir that has already left 70 civilians dead and over 7500 injured “prompted me to unveil this possible solution” to the Kashmir issue.
“I believe reviving the Delhi agreement of 1952 within the framework of what was known at one point of time Musharraf’s four-point formula is the possible solution to Kashmir issue,” Soz said. “In simple words, Delhi agreement can be incorporated in the Musharraf’s four-point formula for finding a dignified solution to the problem.”
The former central minister stressed that proposal was “actually initiated during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure while Musharraf was holding the chair in Pakistan.”
“Things, however, couldn’t move forward in 2007 due to Pakistan’s internal situation,” he said. “Given the present situation, it’s my conviction that a broader debate would certainly yield an acceptable political solution.”
He said the former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh was “ready to move forward on the four-point proposal in 2007, but situation in Pakistan scuttled things.”
He said the deliberations on the four-point formula can also lead to fine-tuning of it. “The formula can be coined as Modi-Nawaz formula. This formula doesn’t entail defeat for either of the parties to the dispute,” he said.
He said it was his firm belief that the moment a “democratic process” is started, the suffocation will go and “our voice will be heard with respect within India and abroad.” He said it was time to take help from J&K history, both distant and recent, to “understand how to organize things afresh.”
Soz said the Hurriyat leadership deserves respect and should be allowed to express their ideas. “I am sure they have their ideas to share,” he said. “Firstly, all the Hurriyat leaders should be released without any further delay.”
Referring to legal luminary A G Noorani’s remarks wherein he has termed the present situation in Kashmir as a “revolt”, Soz said that New Delhi shouldn’t waste the “historic opportunity” of resolving Kashmir. He also advocated revocation of AFSPA stating that it can “set the tone for a good beginning.”
He said borders can’t be changed but can be made irrelevant. “Let there be a letter or a visa for hassle-free travel of people of both sides of the divide,” the Congress leader said.
Soz said the discussion on the main issue will not debar anybody to raise matters such as how “shabbily Delhi’s power elite treated us all these years—the situation of death and destruction during the years of unrest in the past and now.”
“Let India and Pakistan decide when to engage in a meaningful dialogue. Let Kashmiris discuss and debate their future. People Jammu and Ladakh should also be given a chance to speak their minds,” he said. Soz said that dialogue under the shade of gun won’t yield any result.
Merge 1952 Delhi pact with Musharraf’s 4 Point formula; Soz offers Solution
