The only newsmagazine that covers entire Jammu & Kashmir including PoK

COVER APR. 2007

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COVER STORY ► PDP Wins War of Wits 

After a series of meetings between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the PDP Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, confrontation between Cong-PDP on the issue of ‘demilitarization’ seems to have been resolved. Ironically, an issue that the Chief Minister did not deem necessary to discuss in the State Cabinet was discussed by the Prime Minister and his security advisors meaning thereby that the Central Government fully understood the repercussions of the stalemate between the two coalition partners, which despite rich political experience Mr. Azad failed to visualize. What is the message then except this that the Central Government does not want to discontinue its relation-ship with PDP? Another thing that has emerged out of the recent rift is that the Central leadership gives full credence to the suggestions of the PDP leadership whom, the State Congress paints as antinational.

Time has proved that Mufti is the tallest Kashmiri leader after Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who thinks by head and not by heart as other leaders and people of Kashmir are said to have been doing. His moves are calculated hence seldom fail.  If the Central leadership showed eagerness to settle the issue with Mufti it was only because his proposals about reduction of troops from the peaceful areas were convincing.  Pertinent to note PDP never demanded demilitarization of which literary meanings are withdrawal of Army from the State. PDP’s demand in fact has been to reduce Army strength from the peaceful areas and send them to barracks in Kashmir in a phased manner. The demand was neither anti-national nor was it against local interest as was projected by local Congress leadership. PDP was of the view that in the improved  …..FULL STORY