Reconciliation process : Dialogue only way to resolve issues: Mufti

Indian held Kashmir’s ruling party on Tuesday voiced its concerns regarding the escalating ceasefire violations, saying that the heightened tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) should remind India and Pakistan about the “inevitability of dialogue” to find a just and pragmatic solution to all the contentious issues.

Asserting that there was no alternative to reconciliation between the neighbouring nations, Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti underlined the importance of finding a solution to the jolt received by the peace process, in the wake of a series of ceasefire violations, the Press Trust of India reported.



“PDP visualises and is striving for a space of dignity and opportunity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in a larger paradigm of friendship between India and Pakistan. We cannot visualise any alternative to reconciliation and dialogue between our country and Pakistan. “The hostility between the two countries has hit the people of the state the hardest and the incidents on the borders and LoC should
keep reminding the two countries the inevitability of sitting across the table to find a just and pragmatic solution to all the contentious issues,” she said. Mehbooba was addressing a party workers convention in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

Two shot outside shrine

A policeman and a civilian were killed when suspected rebels opened fire outside a Muslim shrine in Indian Kashmir, police said. The militants targeted the police officer guarding the shrine of Tujjar Sharif, 55 kilometres northwest of the main city of Srinagar.

“The policeman unfortunately lost his life, and a civilian who was shot during the attack succumbed to his injuries later,” deputy inspector general of police for the area, Gharib Das, told AFP.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2015.