M Saleem Pandit
Jammu: This may appear counter-intuitive, but the main opposition party in Jammu & Kashmir, PDP, as well as Hurriyat and separatist leaders believe that the “anti-Muslim” BJP prime ministerial nominee, Narendra Modi, is the best bet for Muslim-dominated
Kashmir as he can address both the internal and external dimensions of the region’s problem.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat’s moderate faction, was emphatic, saying the BJP has a clear stand on Kashmir and has the “capacity” and political will to solve the problem. The Mirwaiz said a decade of Congress rule at the Centre reversed the work done by the Atal Bihari Vajpayeeled National Democratic Alliance government to resolve the conflict.
“There was a forward movement on Kashmir during Vajpayee’s tenure as PM. He declared Kashmir a humanitarian issue which should be addressed within the ambit of humanity,” the Mirwaiz said.
People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has said, “A section of Kashmiris believe Modi can take some tough decisions on the Kashmir issue... (they believe) he may emulate Atal Bihari Vajpayee who took some bold steps to infuse in the people hope of a final settlement of Kashmir issue.” Incidentally, she has ruled out alliance with the BJP in the state or even in New Delhi.
Other separatist groups and several political analysts in J&K are also wishing for an NDA victory to take the process of a Kashmir solution forward. Prominent separatist Nayeem Khan said a BJP-led government would address Kashmir with its external and internal dimensions.
