“Today (May 12) is an important day for people of Jammu & Kashmir as the elections were held in Pakistan and Mian Nawaz Sharif is emerging as victorious. I from this stage at Trikulbal Pattan (Kashmir) congratulate Mian Sahib on behalf of people of Jammu & Kashmir, my government and myself and hope that he would carry forward the process of restoring peace and friendship with India and work for resolving K-issue. I urge Sharif to move ahead once again on the important issue (of Kashmir) positively by picking up the threads from where they had been left (in 1999).” – National Conference working president and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah

“Nawaz Sharif has been one of the architects of composite dialogue between the two neighbouring countries and his return to power has raised hopes of an earnest and sincere follow-up to the initial progress made on it. Lack of progress on Kashmir resolution had partly been attributed to instability in Pakistan but with the arrival in office of a new government to be led by a known votary for good relations could transform the situation and the two countries need to capitalize on it.” – Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

“The direct result of the Pakistan elections will be the country’s friendly relations with India. Our experience is that Nawaz Sharif wants settlement of issues (read Kashmir, Siachen and Indus waters) bilaterally through dialogue and discussions.”-- J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Saif-ud-Din Soz

“There is a huge responsibility on the heads of India and Pakistan to bring out the Kashmir issue from the cold-storage and work towards its permanent settlement.” -- CPI-M secretary MY Tarigami

“Now that Nawaz Sharif has won, we hope he won’t take Kashmiris for granted and instead give Kashmir a top priority vis-à-vis its resolution.” – Independent MLA ER Rasheed (Kashmir valley)

“Sharif has a very positive record on Kashmir and he would certainly engage with New Delhi for finding resolution of the Kashmir dispute.” – People’s Conference chairman separatist Sajjad Gani Lone

“Sharif should continue moral and diplomatic support to innocent Kashmiri people. Pakistan should use its influence to build pressure on India to implement UN resolutions on Kashmir which guarantees right to self determination for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.” – Tehrik-e-Hurriyat (TeH) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani

“Nawaz Sharif is a visionary leader and has loads of knowledge. We met him in December last year and he assured us that if his party would be voted to power, he will work towards formulating a mechanism where Kashmiris will have a say in finding an amicable solution to the issue. We hope there will be a forward movement in that direction.” – All-Party Hurriyat Conference-M chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq 

“I hope the new government in Pakistan will not put the Kashmir issue on backburner and work for its resolution on a priority basis… Kashmiris are hopeful that Sharif will try institutionalizing negotiations with India. I hope he will ensure active involvement of people of Jammu & Kashmir (read Kashmiri leadership) as principle party in the process of negotiations and also will try to evolve a consensus on Kashmir between various political and religious parties of Pakistan… Sharif belongs to a Kashmiri family and because of the relation, people of Jammu & Kashmir have high expectations from him that he would keep the sacrifices, struggle, wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir in view and will work for the resolution of this vexed issue.” – Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik

“We congratulate Nawaz Sharif for his victory. He is a known figure and doesn’t need any introduction… No doubt there are many issues between India and Pakistan like Sir Creek, Siachen and water, but Kashmir has been the core issue. We want to convey to Sharif that Kashmiri resistance leaders haven’t closed doors of talks but time is witness that bilateralism has failed in the past. We hope Pakistan would plead the cause of Kashmiris keeping in view the UN resolutions on tri-partite talks.” – Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah

“Under the leadership of Sharif, the new regime won’t let the people of Kashmir down and put in their best to resolve the vexed Kashmir issue. The fact remains that Pakistan is a basic party to the dispute. Given this, the country should work towards addressing the core issue of Kashmir.” – Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front-H chairman Javaid Ahmed

“The people of Kashmir have firm belief that under the leadership of Sharif, pressure would be built on India and international community towards settlement of Kashmir issue.” – Jammu & Kashmir Peoples League chairman Mukhtar Ahmad Waza

“Pakistan should invest its time to establish the disputed nature of Kashmir and then work towards its settlement as well. Without the resolution of this issue, peace can’t prevail in South Asia.” – Democratic Political Movement (DPM) chairman Firdous Ahmed Shah

The ridiculous and outrageous statements of “mainstream” and separatists leaders indicate several things. A brief reference to at least six would be in order. One, the victory of Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the just-held elections to the Pakistan National Assembly after over thirteen years of General Pervez Musharraf’s and Pakistan People’s Party’s rule, has been taken by Kashmiri leaders of all hues to mean the return of hope. In other words, they have declared Kashmir to be on the threshold of a new era full of hope and promise for the future.

Two, all Kashmiri leaders, including the JKPCC president, do not consider Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of India. There is no fundamental difference among them as far as their attitude towards Pakistan, Kashmir and New Delhi is concerned.

Three, they are up in revolt against New Delhi as one man like the Palestinians are one against Israel. They consider Kashmir a communal issue and want a communal solution to the Kashmir issue which stood settled way back in October 1947 in terms of the constitutional law on the subject – law under which Pakistan also came into being and 560-odd princely state acceded to the Indian and Pakistani Dominions. They hate the presence of India and Indian institutions in Kashmir.

Four, they not only seek separation of the state from India on purely religious grounds but also speak for and on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as if they are an integral part of Pakistani establishment and its spokespersons.  

Five, there is not a single Kashmiri leader in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislature and outside who is prepared to accept the ground reality that this sensitive and strategic state consists of three disparate and distinct regions housing a highly diverse population. In other words, all the Kashmiri leaders, without any exception, including the JKPCC chief, wish to force down the throats of the unwilling people of Jammu and Ladakh their pernicious ideology. The state’s complete merger with India and abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution under which the solitary State of Jammu & Kashmir enjoys a very special status within the Union was, and continues to be, the motto and battle-cry of the people of Jammu and Ladakh, who inhabit over 88 per cent of the state’s land area and constitute almost half of the state’s population.

Six, the ruling coalition comprising the NC and the Congress and the main opposition party in the Legislative Assembly, besides the CPI-M MLA and Kashmir-based independent MLA, have violated the oath of office and shamelessly and brazenly jumped on to the bandwagon of Kashmiri separatists.

Who emboldened these seditionists to say what they said? The answer is simple and straight. The answer is the Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh-controlled UPA Government, which represents the Pakistani and Chinese interests in India more than Indian interests. Just look at what the so-called External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters at Beijing on May 10 and you will endorse what I said. He inter alia stated: “I would love to live in Beijing… I didn’t raise the Chinese intrusion (into Depsang Bulge in eastern Ladakh) or seek a reason from them” (read Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi).

It is time for the nation to wake up and throw out the party of “termites” lock, stock and barrel.