SRINAGAR: Lawmakers in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly paid tributes to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his statesmanship, especially regarding Kashmir.
Cutting across party lines, various members said that Vajpayee’s approach to Kashmir is a model for history. Communist leader Yousuf Tarigami remarked that Vajpayee had laid down a basic principle for cordial relations in one simple sentence: “You can change your friends, but not your neighbours.” Tarigami added that it was with this wisdom that Vajpayee always went the extra mile to foster good neighbourly relations. He noted that when it came to extending the ceasefire, Vajpayee overruled all opposition.
JKNC leader Bashir A. Veeri recalled Vajpayee’s three-word solution to Kashmir – *insaniyat* (humanity), *jumhooriyat* (democracy), and *Kashmiriyat* (the unique cultural identity of Kashmir) – describing it as a fundamental principle that should be upheld. Veeri noted that Vajpayee’s support for interventions in Kashmir was aimed at improving the lives of the people.
Earlier, PDP lawmaker Rafiq Naik also spoke about the Vajpayee Doctrine, emphasising that it should form the basis for understanding and managing Kashmir.
