NEW DELHI, 11 July 2021, (TON): President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti,  reiterated that the only way to bring lasting peace in the subcontinent is through a process of dialogue and reconciliation.

Mehbooba Mufti, as per a statement issued “the mechanisms of coercion and oppression are tested methods, failed to bring any change in the vexed Kashmir scenario. Dialogue and reconciliation has proved effective to end alienation among youths and bring considerable change, paving way for the economic upliftment of society."

Mehbooba Mufti was interacting with a delegation of a dozen PDP office bearers from the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch on the second day of her ongoing tour of the Jammu region. She asserted that democracy, being a battle of ideas, derives its strength from dissent.

Vice President Choudhary Abdul Hamid, General Secretary Amreek Singh Reen, Ex-legislators Master Tasaduq Hussain, Firdous Tak, Muhammad Rasheed Qureshi, Additional General Secretary Rasheed Malik, State Secretaries Adv Maroof Khan, Javaid Iqbal Choudhary, Imtiyaz Banday, Shamim Ganai, Tazeem Dar, Master Iqbal Shah, Bari Shah, Waseem Khan, Nadeem Khan, Showkat Choudhary, Majid Shah were among those who were present.

Mehbooba Mufti said that entering into an alliance with the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) after the 2014 elections was the most difficult decision for the PDP, but it was crucial for an organisation that wanted to resolve the Kashmir issue and facilitate peaceful ties between India and Pakistan.