PDP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) that her party welcomes RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s remarks suggesting that “a window of dialogue should remain open with Pakistan”. Ms. Mufti said “talks are the only headway” to address the issues between the two countries.“We welcome the RSS general secretary’s statement advocating keeping a window of dialogue open with Pakistan. This vindicates the PDP’s stand and that of its founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who always advocated for dialogue with Pakistan and believed that the situation in Kashmir could improve and a return to permanent peace was possible if the two countries engage with each other,” said Ms. Mufti.She was reacting to Mr. Hosabale’s interview with a wire service where he recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approach towards Pakistan and underlined that “we should not close the doors and should always be ready to engage in dialogue” with Pakistan. He also referred to diplomatic relations, trade, and commerce as examples of how a window for dialogue remains open between the two countries. She referenced Mr. Vajpayee’s statement that “We can change our friends but not our neighbours.” Ms. Mufti said her party backed the current stand of the RSS and advocated “negotiations between the two countries to see the region prosper”.She said there were lessons to be learnt from the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, where “eventually even the U.S., a superpower, had to engage with Iran.”Parallel dialogueMs. Mufti also welcomed recent reports that retired Indian and Pakistani diplomats and military officers had taken part in a dialogue. “If this is formalised, we will see a positive impact in Kashmir too. We saw that when former PM Manmohan Singh initiated dialogue with Pakistan, militancy fell and people felt at ease. Unfortunately, there is a sense of suffocation currently in Kashmir,” said Ms. Mufti.She said there are indications that a year after Operation Sindoor both sides are realising — especially the RSS — that dialogue is the way forward.The former J&K CM expressed concern over the continued “crackdown against locals” in Kashmir. “Local Muslim employees are being terminated over allegations of anti-national conduct and homes are being bulldozed. Anyone who posts on social media is summoned to a police station. Schools that are labelled anti-national have been demolished,” said Ms. Mufti.She said the UAPA and Public Safety Act cannot be employed so widely. “There are reports that jails in Kashmir are full, owing to the anti-drug campaign, and youth are being moved outside. We support action against drug peddlers but ask that homes be spared,” she added. Published - May 13, 2026 11:24 pm IST
