SRINAGAR: Former Sadr-e-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Karan Singh on Saturday reiterated his demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the Centre had already made a commitment and should fulfil its promise.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Interfaith Dialogue at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Dr Singh said the restoration of statehood should be carried out as assured by the government.
“I think it should be done. The Government has also promised to restore statehood, and I believe it should be done,” he said.
Addressing the Interfaith Dialogue earlier, Dr Singh described Kashmir as the “crown of India” and recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s famous remark that the Valley had represented a “ray of hope” during the Partition period because of its tradition of communal harmony and coexistence.
He said Jammu and Kashmir must continue to uphold its centuries-old legacy of communal harmony, shared cultural heritage and religious coexistence, describing the Valley as a unique symbol of India’s pluralistic civilisation.
Dr Singh said the purpose of interfaith dialogue was not to establish the superiority of one religion over another but to promote mutual understanding, respect and trust among different religious communities.
“This is not Shastrarth. Every religion has its own philosophy and values. The objective is to understand each other and strengthen harmony,” he said.
Quoting the Rig Vedic verse Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti, he said truth is one though expressed in different ways and that different religions ultimately lead to the same Divine.
Reflecting on Kashmir’s spiritual and intellectual legacy, Dr Singh said the Valley had been shaped by Vedic traditions, Buddhism, Kashmir Shaivism, the teachings of Lal Ded and the contributions of Sufi saints, including Shah-e-Hamdan and Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, all of whom enriched its composite culture.
He proposed the establishment of a permanent Interfaith Dialogue Centre in Kashmir to institutionalise engagement among different faiths and strengthen the region’s long-standing tradition of peaceful coexistence.
Dr Singh also called for the promotion of Urdu, describing it as an Indian language and an integral part of the country’s composite cultural heritage.
“Urdu was born in India. It is not a foreign language. It should be preserved, promoted and used wherever possible,” he said, recalling his admiration for Urdu poetry and his interactions with renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Emphasising that people of different religions, languages and traditions could live together peacefully, Dr Singh said Kashmir should continue to serve as a beacon of interfaith harmony, cultural pluralism and national unity.
He also expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored in due course, noting that the erstwhile state had historically enjoyed a unique constitutional position in the country.
