New Delhi: The Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has written a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, urging him to use his influence on separatist leaders and militant youth to make them agree to a ceasefire to resolve the unrest in the Kashmir valley.
The Imam said that he is appealing to all stakeholders – the governments of India and Pakistan, Kashmiri leaders and militant youth – to declare ceasefire and resolve the issue through dialogue. “With all the intellect, wisdom and prudence at our disposal, we must make every effort to save Kashmir from the dangerous destruction and devastation it faces and pave the way for the establishment of peace there.”
In the letter dated June 22, Bukhari says that the peaceful valley once known as the paradise on earth has now become a valley of tears. “The Kashmir situation is becoming volatile day by day, resulting in an increase in tensions between the two countries as days pass. I think that more delay in the creation of a favourable environment for peace shall make the settlement of the Kashmir issue more difficult," Bukhari said in his letter to Sharif.
Bhukhari said that common people of Kashmir are in a state of terror and helplessness as they find their dreams for peace shattered. “Thousands of people are living, under the shadow of AK-47, a life besieged by bloodshed. Today, it has become unbelievable that people all over the world once considered the Kashmir Valley as the paradise on earth as today it has become an abattoir. This game of death and destruction is making the situation graver. The only realistic recourse is peace and parleys,” said the Imam.
Maintaining that millions of Indian Muslims are facing a trying situation, Bukhari told Sharif that the only practical way is to ease tension on the borders, normalise the situation and initiate a dialogue between the two nations.
“The Kashmir situation can neither be solved through guns and stones nor through military expeditions. We should create an environment conducive for the talks at the earliest. Through the exchange of views and dialogue on the larger issues, we all should formulate a strategy that is in the interest of both nations,” he said in the letter.
“What I perceive in the context of the current situation is that positive measures aimed to ensure the dialogue process are needed, keeping in view the interests of the two countries and their people. I request you to kindly persuade the militant youth and Hurriyat leaders to agree for a ceasefire through your good offices and influence," he concluded.
Here is a full copy of the letter:
Comments
0 comment