Former Sadr-e-Riyasat (head of state) of the erstwhile state, Karan Singh, on Saturday said Jammu and Kashmir should not have to “beg” for the restoration of statehood, asserting that the Centre has already committed to restoring it.
“I was the President of the erswtwhile state. At that time, there was no union Territory. It was a complete state,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of an Interfaith Dialogue organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language and the Inter-Faith Harmony Foundation of India.
Asked about the importance of restoring the state, he said, “I think it should be. The government has also said that it will restore the state. We were the biggest state. We should not beg for it. They have to give it. When they want to give it is up to them. We cannot force them.”
Karan Singh, as head of the state, had signed the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir in 1957.
Appealing for peace and unity, Singh urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain communal harmony and strengthen relations between the Jammu and Kashmir regions.
“My message is to maintain harmony. The relations between Jammu and Kashmir, which are sometimes delicate, should be maintained so that our state can grow, represent all of India and show the whole country a way,” he said.
Former Sadr-e-Riyasat stressed the need for interfaith dialogue, saying it was vital for preserving India’s unity and should also be promoted in Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh said the initiative was important not only for Jammu and Kashmir but for the entire country.
“This is very important in the whole country, not just in Jammu and Kashmir. It is essential that people of all religions live together. If sectarianism and divisions increase, the country gets divided.
That is why we have to keep everyone together,” he said.
Explaining the purpose of the dialogue, Singh said people belonging to different faiths should come together to understand each other’s beliefs and perspectives.
“The purpose of this interfaith dialogue is that followers of different religions sit together and try to understand each other. This should also happen in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
