India, Pakistan should settle Kashmir issue for development and peace, says ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti

“Both India and Pakistan should sit like they did during the former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time to settle down the issue of Jammu and Kashmir amicably," Mehbooba told media persons in Anantnag.

Reacting to the speech of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in United Nations General Assembly where he rakes the Kashmir issue, Mehbooba said, “The Kashmir issue should be resolved if Pakistan has asked to settle the Jammu and Kashmir issue besides looking for good relations between India and Pakistan …should be… and if the relations between both the countries will improve the poverty in India and Pakistan could come to an end.”

She said the settlement of Jammu and Kashmir is not only for the people but for the development of both the countries and could be good news for the subcontinent.

The former Chief Minister said the Jammu and Kashmir issue has been a complicated issue for the past 70-75 years and has changed the situation and needs a comprehensive settlement.

“Our thousand of youth are languishing in Jails not only in Jammu and Kashmir but outside of state in other parts of the country are suffering badly”, she said and added “everyday encounters happen people are getting killed and civilians are in pain.”

She said the money both the countries are spending on purchasing planes and arms could be used for the development of the people of both the countries.

She claimed that India has gone down in GDP and crores of people have also been living below poverty.

Mehbooba said the condition of Pakistan is also the worst and the recent floods have further deteriorated the economic situation there.

(With UNI inputs)