PM’s narrative did not produce positive effect in Kashmir: Soz

Srinagar, May 21: Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narrative did not produce a positive effect in Kashmir, senior Congress leader and former union minister Prof Saifuddin Soz on Monday said he did not keep the spirit of his Red Fort message alive in Kashmir.

“If economic development were a solution to ‘unease in minds of a people, the conflicts would not have occurred in the world at all," Prof Soz said in a statement here.

He said Mr Modi lumped all agitating youth together and described them as ‘misguided youth’ who must hasten to return to ‘mainstream’.

Sadly, the Prime Minister felt satisfied, perhaps, there was no need to reach the ‘unrest’ in the minds of the agitating youth, he said adding the PM also had no ‘response’ whatsoever to the so-called ‘Agenda of Alliance’ which is being offered to Kashmir as a measure of peace and hope by Mr Modi’s coalition partner.

Prof Soz said as is being perceived by political observation, Mr Modi’s non-response to the Chief Minister’s urges for creating an atmosphere of reconciliation in Kashmir, shows a situation of harder times for future of the coalition government in J&K.

He said the best course for the ‘Mainstream’ parties and groups in Kashmir is to raise an effective voice for an un-fettered dialogue process to be initiated by the Centre with the leadership that is totally alienated with the Centre which is unmistakably the Hurriyat Conference.

“If the mainstream parties do not rise to the occasion ‘soon’ they will be held responsible for the killings in Kashmir that have gone unabated for quite a long time. In fact, time is running out for them (Mainstream)’’, he said.