JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday claimed that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was closer to a lasting solution amicably between India and Pakistan when Manmohan Singh was at the helm of affairs as the Prime Minister of India. He said that he does not expect a return to that situation in his lifetime. “May I say that both the countries had come closer to resolving this (Kashmir) problem during that period and I do not see a return to the situation in my lifetime,” the Chief Minister said while recalling the former Prime Minister’s contribution to peace and his efforts to resolve the issue of Kashmir amicably with Pakistan. Mr. Abdullah who was speaking in the J&K Assembly during the obituary references to Mr. Singh and four others on the opening day of its budget session here said, “He tried to address the problem with the outside country (Pakistan). He did not make this initiative but inherited it as the start was made by (Atal Bihari) Vajpayeeji and (then Pakistan president General Pervez) Musharraf”. He added, “He (Mr. Singh) would have stopped the initiative after taking over as the Prime Minister, but he understood the initiative taken by Vajpayeeji is a big responsibility to carry forward.” He said that when the situation deteriorated during the unrest in the Kashmir Valley in 2010, the then Prime Minister tried to heal the wounds by setting up working groups. He asserted, “Whether related to politics or meant to improve governance they are still relevant”. The Chief Minister praised the former Prime Minister also for “practically initiating” measures for the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. “He introduced job reservation for the community in Kashmir and we persuaded them. There was no such effort from anyone else. He provided relief to (displaced) Pandits by setting up the Jagti township in Jammu for the community members who were living in tents,” he said. The Chief Minister said, “In the last assembly session (in Srinagar), we had a long list headed by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji and now after four months, we have a short list headed by another former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has made an immense contribution for the country.” He said that Mr. Singh’s contributions towards making India an economic power by introducing reforms especially related to the private sector and social welfare measures were also commendable. He said Mr. Singh was the most misunderstood leader and was right in saying that history would judge him more kindly.. Later while speaking to reporters here, the Chief Minister ruled out the possibility of his National Conference (NC) aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “There is absolutely no question of an alliance with the BJP. Our political ideologies and priorities stand in stark contrast, particularly on issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir. There is no room or necessity for such a partnership,” he said when asked to react to a comment by BJP MLA R. S. Pathania, who hinted at a “possible collaboration” between the two parties.
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