New Delhi, Dec 18: Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said her Peoples Democratic Party would join hands with any party for the resolution of Kashmir issue.
“If we can join hands with the BJP, we can do so with anyone for resolution of the J-K issue,” she said at the ‘Agenda Aaj Tak’ event here.
She said that her party going with the BJP, during the last political regime in the state, was “suicidal” and that she was “disappointed” that this experiment to begin the political process in the state did not work.
Asked if she had any lessons to learn, she replied, “They (the BJP) didn’t teach me any lesson. I stood my ground… in taking decisions. We experimented (through the PDP-BJP alliance) for the people of Kashmir but that did not work.”
She said it was the “best time” for India to hold talks with Pakistan under Imran Khan.
She said, the talks between the two neighbours at this time could prove “beneficial”.
“If Imran Khan is a proxy of Pakistan’s army then this is the best time to talk. When Imran Khan says he is ready to talk, to open corridors, then I think army is also on the same page,” she said.
She said the “best bargain” for India vis-a-vis the Kashmir issue was during the time when Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan, as during that time ceasefire was initiated at the border and the Muzaffarabad route was opened.
“The talks could be beneficial now….why shall we not talk? During Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Vajpayee tenures, we turned the hardliners into mainstream. ” she asked.
She said there was a huge difference between former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime and the current one under PM Narendra Modi.
“(Atal Bihari) Vajpayee was spontaneous and down to earth…he never looked back or over his shoulder. He was a statesman. He went to Pakistan and Parvez Musharraf agreed that he won’t let Pakistan soil to be used against India. Then infiltration and militancy also went down. Today’s NDA is more focused in winning elections,” she claimed.
“Thank God, they have not given voting rights to cows,” she said in an apparent dig on the BJP.
She said that army played a role to make atmosphere conducive for the polls in the past. “They did their role but then political process could not be initiated. We are not doing justice to army by not initiating the political process,” she added.
