Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president and Member Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for seeking intervention of United States President Donald Trump in solving the protracted issue of Jammu and Kashmir and asked world powers to make Kashmir a peace zone.

The NC president said, “It is indeed a welcome step to seethe Prime Minister (Modi) make sincere efforts to solve the issue that has been lingering around for more than seven decades.”Any mediation in conflict resolution is not a new approach;it is one of the traditional means of diplomacy that affords the two conflictridden countries reach to a suitable solution.”

Welcoming any move which is aimed to bring long-lasting peace and stability to the sub-continent, Dr Farooq said, “It is high time for India and Pakistan to shun hostilities because at the end its people of our state who face the direct brunt of such hostilities. It’s our people who come in the line of fire whenever there is friction between India and Pakistan and there fore continue to remain mired within the strained Indo-Pak relationship. The issue of Kashmir in fact led to multiples wars between the two countries an descalated tensions from time to time. The people of the state want an end toall rounds of violence and fresh round of political maneuvers that would satisfy the aspirations of the people of the state besides affording a win-win situation for both India and Pakistan,” adding, “So many conflicts would be resolved if leaders consider the humane aspects of it, it is high time for both the neighboring countries to solve the issue that has devoured many preciouslives. The development prospects of the sub-continent too have remained hostageto the animosity between the two neighbors.”

NC president while rebuffing the forces within the countryfor bogging PM Modi down said, “It is not for the first time that any outsideintervention has been sought on this issue. The famous Tashkent declaration isa stark example of that was signed fifty years ago.  The document is considered as one of thefirst examples of diplomatic mediation by Soviet Union. The mediation effortswere successful that obliged both the countries to cease hostilities, withdrawall military forces to positions they held prior to the start of the armedescalation, and resume diplomatic ties.”