Saifuddin Soz calls for restoration of Article 370, urges dialogue with Pakistan

Veteran Congress leader Saifuddin Soz urged restoration of Article 370, calling its abrogation a mistake and advocating dialogue with Pakistan. He appealed to regional parties and the Congress to jointly press the Centre for restoring Jammu and Kashmir's internal autonomy

Srinagar: Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz on Thursday urged for the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, asking the regional parties as well as the Congress to explain the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government that it cannot break the “trust” that a “Muslim-majority state had placed while joining a Hindu-majority country”.

The Congress leader, who was among the 117 signatories who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif for ending hostilities between the two nations, asserted: “Conflicts can be solved only through dialogue and not with war.”

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Speaking to IANS, Soz said: “I am among those who believe that war serves no purpose. Ultimately, dialogue is the only way forward. We have seen wars in European countries as well, but in the end, they, too, reached agreements.”

“Dialogue cannot take place in an atmosphere of war,” he added. “Because of this I joined those people in signing (the letter). Pakistan is our neighbour and we should resume dialogue,” the Congress leader stressed.

Responding to questions on the Jammu and Kashmir government’s demand for abrogation of Article 370, Soz said: “Article 370 represents our internal autonomy. I still hope that the National Conference, the largest political party here, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Apni Party, and the Congress should come together. There should be a peaceful movement to seek the restoration of our internal autonomy. It was a mistake on the part of the Centre to abrogate Article 370.”

According to the veteran Congress leader, the Union government did not have the authority to abrogate Article 370.

“Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the National Conference, the PDP, the Apni Party, and other political parties to jointly approach the Centre and explain that the Muslim-majority region chose to accede to a Hindu-majority country because India is a secular nation that believes in tolerance,” Soz said.

The Congress leader added: “They should explain that a Muslim-majority state accepted accession to a Hindu-majority country based on trust which has been broken by the Centre. If they think that they can forcefully silence the people using military and paramilitary forces, then that is ignorance and it is wrong.”

Urging the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy, Soz said: “They should not impose (their decision) on us.”