We must understand legitimate aspirations of Kashmiris: Sonia

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Linking the turmoil in Kashmir,
north India, to anger and pain among Kashmiri youth who grew
up in "conflict and brutality", Congress party chief Sonia
Gandhi Wednesday said their "legitimate aspirations" must be
respected and a magnanimous approach adopted to give them
hope.
Addressing an all-party meet on Kashmir here, she pressed
for a spirit of accommodation and reconciliation and said the
"ideological and political differences" should be put aside as
"we are facing far too serious a challenge to allow those
differences to stand in the way of resolute, sensitive and
appropriate actions".
She said the Congress party is "more than willing" to
support a process of "healing and dialogue in partnership"
with the people of the state as she expressed deep sense of
sorrow at the continuing loss of life in the state.
"We meet today (Wednesday) against the backdrop of
escalating violence in Kashmir. It cannot be too strongly said
that words alone will not suffice," Gandhi said at the meeting
convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Together, let us arrive at suitable decisions on which
we can all agree to break this vicious cycle of violence and
suffering," she said.
Emphasising that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part
of "our country and our democracy", the United Progressive
Alliance Chairperson said "we must ask ourselves why is there
so much anger. Why is there so much pain, in particular
amongst the youth?"
Apparently seeking to give answers to these questions,
she said "the young, especially, belong to a generation that
has grown up in the embrace of violence, of conflict and
brutality. We must give them hope, we must understand and
respect their legitimate aspirations."
Gandhi said this should be reflected in "what we say and
decide. We need to be magnanimous and mature in our approach,
as befits a strong confident and inclusive democracy."
She said "there are some inimical forces within and
beyond the state and we understand the extreme pressures and
dangerous circumstances our police and security forces face in
protecting our sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Citing the Prime Minister's statement that India's
democracy has "resilience to accommodate a diversity of
problems", the Congress President said "the people of Jammu
and Kashmir are our people, they are our citizens.
"Let us demonstrate in a spirit of accommodation. This
alone, I believe, can create space for reconciliation and
bring and end to turmoil and conflict." PTI AMI
KAB