SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday made an appeal for peace, urging India to take the lead in defusing the escalating tensions with Pakistan, warning that continued conflict would only prolong suffering for civilians in the region.
Mufti expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians, and Operation Sindoor launched by the Indian military on May 7 targeting nine locations across the border.
“The people of our region have long borne the brunt of such conflicts,” she said. “India, as the world’s largest democracy and a rising global power, must take the lead in de-escalating tensions.”
Mufti criticised the spiral of retaliatory violence and called for a return to diplomacy, citing India’s responsibility to demonstrate restraint and uphold its global democratic values. She urged the government to pursue peace not as a sign of weakness but as an assertion of true national strength.
“India must show that its true power lies not in its nuclear arsenal but in its commitment to peace and dialogue,” she stated, noting that continued military engagement risks dragging the region into prolonged instability.
Referencing recent international commentary — including US Vice President JD Vance’s remarks and diplomatic contact between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan’s leadership — Mufti underscored the international community’s watchful eye on the situation.
She also condemned the civilian toll of the recent shelling incidents, especially the death of Rajouri’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Raj Kumar Thappa, and spoke out against reported arbitrary detentions and crackdowns in the Valley since the Pahalgam attack.
“Retaliation only perpetuates the cycle of violence,” Mufti warned. “True leadership is shown by those who break this cycle.”
Mufti said it was time for India to set a diplomatic precedent and reaffirmed her party’s commitment to “peace with dignity”.
“Let this be a turning point. Not toward more conflict, but toward a future where our children can live without the shadow of war,” she concluded.
