People's Democracy

             PPP Delegation Meets Left Leaders

A high powered parliamentary delegation of  Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a luncheon meeting with the leaders of the Left parties at the J&K House in New Delhi on March 29 and exchanged views on issues of bilateral interest. 

Speaking on behalf of the seven member delegation, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, PPP national president who is also the leader of the opposition alliance in the  national assembly, the Alliance  for  Restoration of  Democracy (ARD), said  the  purpose of their visit was to increase contacts between the people of the two countries and also for a more closer cooperation between the  progressive and democratic forces in India and Pakistan. He said his party had been supporting the peace process between India and Pakistan and that any resolution of Kashmir issue should be according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Fahim briefly traced the history of political process in Pakistan and said that lasting peace between the two nations can come through only a democracy, for which his party had been fighting for decades in his country. In the last parliamentary election held in Pakistan, it was  the PPP  which emerged as the single largest party in the  Pakistan National Assembly and  he, in the absence of Benazir Bhutto, was in the race for  prime ministership. But by resorting to  manipulation,  threats and  foisting of false cases, the  present rulers were able to form the government. He said we have fought military regimes and always emerged as a big force adding that it was in the interest of Pakistan to strengthen the democratic  culture.

Addressing the   meeting, CPI(M)  Polit Buro member, Prakash Karat, stressed the necessity of maintaining peace and  friendship  among the people of the two countries and in the region. He said when there was tension between the two countries  and all communication channels were closed even then CPI(M) had advocated the resumptions of dialogue as means to reduce Indo-Pak tensions  and to keep away any  outside intervention.

Saying that the developments in Pakistan are being followed, Karat said that the Left in India wants that democracy strengthens and takes root in all the countries in sub-continent because it would be in the interest of the people. He expressed support to the forces working for  strengthening  democracy in  Pakistan.

On the Jammu and Kashmir issue, Karat reiterated  the CPI(M) stand of granting maximum  autonomy for the state within the ambit of Article  370 of the Constitution. He also said the CPI(M) is for providing  regional autonomy to Jammu and Ladakh regions.

Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, MLA and secretary of Jammu and Kashmir state unit of CPI(M), who took the initiative in organising this meeting, said  that although it would have been good if the meeting had taken place somewhere in Kashmir  but as  Pakistanis are not allowed in Kashmiri here, similarly  Indians are not allowed in that part of Kashmir. Referring to the cross border infiltration he said  “Where as we cannot take our guests to Kashmir but  many  uninvited  “guests” manage to come to Kashmir. And because of their activities  the  Kashmiris are suffering. We are their target.” He called for the need to  encourage people to people contacts not only  between India and Pakistan but also between the people of  Jammu and Kashmir across the line of control. He said the Kashmiris were keenly watching developments in India and Pakistan.

Welcoming the peace initiative, he cautioned the progressive forces not to feel complacent as vested interests in both the countries were bent upon playing some mischief. He said that progressive and democratic minded people should take the lead in solving the Kashmir problem and should not the people of the state at the mercy of the ruling parties. He called for making Kashmir a bridge between the two countries and try to resolve the issue at the earliest because everyday blood was being shed.

CPI national secretary, D Raja, emphasised that the Kashmir problem should be resolved without any ‘third party mediation”. He said attempts to internationalise the situation would not be in the interest of either India  or Pakistan.

Among those who were present  were Brinda Karat, AIDWA general secretary, and noted intellectuals,  Aijaz Ahmed and C P Chandrashekar.

The PPP delegation included four other members of the National Assembly namely Mohammad Yousuf Talpur, Sardar Asif Ahmed  Ali, Choudhury Manzoor Ahmed and  Senator Anwar Beg besides the  coordinator to the tour  Nafees Sidiqui. (INN)