Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday welcomed the Centre’s announcement of halting the security operations in the embattled State during the holy month saying that it would go a long way in healing the wounds of people suffering the tragedies and pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades.

The ceasefire announcement came a few hours before the Ramzan moon was sighted and mosques began blaring announcements about the arrival of the month of fasting. The people started congratulating each other on social networking sites.

“What best a time to go for this significant decision than the onset of holy month of Ramzan which promotes values of patience, self-restraint and tolerance,” Mehbooba said in a statement adding that it would also provide the necessary breather to the people from the violence which they have been craving for so long.

Mehbooba Mufti thanked the Central Government particularly Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Rajnath Singh for making the momentous decision adding that this marks the beginning of listening to the accounts of agony of the State’s people by the country’s leadership and the policymakers which she has been requesting time and again.

The Chief Minister urged all groups to reciprocate positively to the gesture which is aimed at giving relief to the people of the State who have seen enough torment and tragedy.

Mehbooba Mufti also thanked all the political parties in the State which backed her idea of cessation of hostilities in one voice during the All Parties Meeting convened by her recently.

Opposition National Conference working President Omar Abdullah obliquely asked militants to respond to the ceasefire lest they would stand exposed as the true enemies of the people. Omar also re-tweeted Mehbooba Mufti’s message on welcoming the central leadership for the ceasefire announcement.

“On the demand of political parties (except the BJ, which had opposed it) the Center has announced a unilateral cease-fire. Now if the militants don’t respond in kind they will stand exposes the true enemies of the people,” Abdullah wrote on twitter.

“Center will call this a NICO-Non-initiation of combat operations. It’s what they called it during the Vajpayee-Advani era as well but it’s still a unilateral cease-fire. A rose by any other name,” he said.

Omar’s father and MP Farooq Abdullah also welcomed the announcement.

The CPM leader and legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami hoped that violence would end forever and it will help in to initiate a meaningful dialogue process.

“Political backup and political dialogue with dissenting voices and Pakistan is a must for the success of this initiative. The political leadership needs to backup ceasefire proposals as perhaps the previous such announcements failed due to the lack of political backup that could have sustained them,” said Tarigami in a statement.

Tarigami said that silencing of guns on both sides is the need of the hour as hostilities can further derail the efforts leading towards the formation of better understanding. There is also a need for all the stakeholders involved to shun the extreme and rigid positions in favour of some common middle ground which will take into consideration the genuine political aspirations of all the people involved.

“Violence is an option for none and especially for the suffering people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have been the worst victims of hostilities in the region for last so many decades,” he said.

However, militant group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba rejected the cease fire saying it was not an option and no thought could be given on “such compromise”. “We deem it as sin and disgrace to the sacrifices put up in the freedom struggle. We are the heirs of the martyrs. Opting for such choice is treachery to blood of martyrs and there is no disgrace as such,” Mehmood Shah, spokesman of LeT outfit said in a statement.

“The statement of India's interior minister is nothing but a drama. It may be a wish of India and its few sympathizers and nothing else. Bipin Rawat is of the opinion that he may threaten the Kashmiris by imposing atrocities on unarmed students. It has neither happened before nor will it happen now. We were active in the resistance before and so we will be in future,” he said.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Thursday, 17 May 2018 | Khursheed Wani | Srinagar