Kashmir Must Be Core Stakeholder in Peace Process, Say Speakers
SRINAGAR, JULY 19: A high-level Indo-Pak dialogue conference held in New Delhi on Friday witnessed strong calls for renewed political engagement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with a clear focus on the urgent need to restore Jammu & Kashmir’s constitutional rights and ensure the inclusion of its people in any future peace roadmap.
The conference, organised by the Centre for Peace and Progress under the chairmanship of O.P. Shah, brought together eminent figures from both sides of the border, including Muzaffar Shah, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Khurshid Ahmad Kasuri, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, Tanvir Sadiq, and others, with several prominent Pakistani voices joining virtually.
In a stirring address, Muzaffar Shah, Senior Vice President of the Awami National Conference (ANC), invoked the Kensington Declaration—a historical pact between Britain and Germany—as a diplomatic model worth emulating.
“If Britain and Germany could reconcile after two devastating world wars, why can’t India and Pakistan?” Shah asked, a sentiment that found strong backing from Khurshid Ahmad Kasuri, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister.
Reaffirming the sanctity of Article 370 and 35A, Shah warned against further delays in the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
“The phrase ‘at an appropriate time’ must be discarded. The people of J&K are not beggars of democracy—we are its rightful stakeholders. The Supreme Court must answer to the people of Jammu & Kashmir.”
Mani Shankar Aiyar, veteran Congress leader and former diplomat, quoted Prime Minister Modi’s own words—“the time for wars is over”—and urged the government to implement this philosophy domestically.
“Apply your own mantra at home first—especially in Kashmir,” Aiyar remarked pointedly.
On the Pakistani side, Kasuri warned of the dangerous consequences of sustained hostility.
“There is no alternative to dialogue. The second round of confrontation could be catastrophic. Governments must once again declare—enough is enough.”
Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak echoed the need for sustained engagement:
“Even during tensions, India and Pakistan never stopped talking. Now we need to escalate the peace—not the conflict—through deeper people-to-people and political dialogue.”
Tanvir Sadiq, senior NC leader, criticised the democratic deficit in J&K:
“We live in a region where even peaceful protests for statehood are suppressed. It’s time to restore statehood and dignity through dialogue.”
Other notable participants included Sajjad Hussain Kargili, M.M. Ansari, Firoz Bakht, Ambassador Raghavan, and from Pakistan, Mohammad Ashraf Qazi and Beena Sarwar, all underscoring the need for institutionalising peace, reviving cross-border engagement, and centring Kashmiris in the discourse.
The event concluded with a strong consensus:
There is no military solution to Indo-Pak issues. Only sustained dialogue, constitutional justice, and courageous political will can break the decades-old deadlock.
—Kashmir Pen News Service
