Good opportunity to find lasting peace vis-a-vis Kashmir, Mehbooba on Gen Bajwa comment

Srinaga:  Reacting to Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa comment, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said it is a good opportunity for India and Pakistan to set aside hostilities and find a long lasting solution vis-a-vis Kashmir.

Ms Mehbooba, who is the President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said both the countries have huge military budgets to outdo each other when the same resources can instead be used on common challenges like poverty, education and healthcare.

“A good opportunity for India & Pakistan to set aside hostilities & find a long lasting solution vis-a-vis Kashmir. Both countries have huge military budgets to outdo each other when the same resources can instead be used on common challenges like poverty, education & healthcare,” Ms Mehbooba wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.

Gen Bajwa on Thursday said that it was time for New Delhi and Islamabad to ‘bury the past and move forward’. “The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of disputes. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity,” the Pak Army chief said.

The comments had come a day after Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan was trying to bring in peace, but India would have to take the first step to normalise ties.