Imam Bukhari asks Nawaz Sharif to resolve Kashmir issue, persuade militants to lay down arms

The Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has written to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urging him to persuade militant youth and Hurriyat leaders to agree for a ceasefire and resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue.

“Thousands of people are living under the shadow of AK- 47, a life besieged by bloodshed,” he said. This game of death and destruction is making the situation grave. Due to these circumstances, millions of Indian Muslims are also facing a trying situation. Whenever ties between the two countries are tense it directly affects the Muslims of India, Bukhari said. “The Kashmir issue can neither be solved through guns and stones nor through military expeditions. We should create an environment conducive for the talks at the earliest.

“Through the exchange of views and dialogue on the larger issues, we all should formulate a strategy that is in the interest of both nations,” he said in the letter. Referring to what former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that “one could change friends but not the neighbours”, Bukhari said he perceived in the context of current situation positive measures aimed to ensure dialogue process is needed keeping in view the interest of the two countries and their people.

“I request you to kindly persuade the militant youth and Hurriyat leaders to agree for a ceasefire through your good offices and influence,” the Shahi Imam said. When contacted, Bukhari told PTI, “I had written the letter to Nawaz Sharif on 22 June , in the month of Ramzan