Srinagar: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 at AIIMS in New Delhi on Thursday, was known for his Kashmir connect and urgent initiatives for peace and dialogue for the resolution of the conflict in the valley. The demise of Singh, a popular figure among leaders from Kashmir, cast a pall of gloom in the valley. As in life, in death too, he is fondly remembered by Kashmiri politicians.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the late Prime Minister worked tirelessly to advance the peace process and usher in a new era of development in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Manmohan Singh & I am certain that he was one of the most humble and gentle souls I've encountered - an extremely rare trait in politicians today. His humility & kindness were evident even during his double tenure as Prime Minister when he would personally return calls. Despite the challenges he faced, Dr. Singh worked tirelessly to advance the peace process and usher in a new era of development in Jammu and Kashmir. He was a man of few words whose welfare schemes brought relief to millions of Indians cutting across caste, creed & religion,” Mehbooba wrote on X while posting a picture of her late father Mufti Sayeed and Manmohan Singh.
Sayeed was Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister between 2002-2005, his first tenure when Congress shared the government with the PDP after it was formed four years ago in 1998. This period saw the inauguration of the Udhampur-Baramulla railway by the late Manmohan Singh in October 2008, which is now being completed and will connect Kashmir with New Delhi. The first Vande Bharat train is expected to run in January 2025 from Kashmir to New Delhi.
Dr Singh inaugurated the train at Nowgam railway station near Srinagar. Later in 2011 during his second stint as the PM, he along with Sonia Gandhi, the then UPA chairperson, inaugurated the train service between Banihal and Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while paying tributes to late Singh said that he had learned a lot from him during his interactions with him.
“Very sorry to hear about the demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. I had many occasions to interact & learn from him. He was truly an intellectual giant, an accomplished economist but above all he was a thorough gentleman, a giant among pygmies. India has lost a great son with his passing. Rest in peace sir & thank you for everything,” Omar posted on X.
Besides the development work, which the late PM did for Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Singh left behind a history of his peace and dialogue initiatives in Kashmir with Pakistan and separatist leaders from the Valley.
He is considered the architect of the Manmohan-Musharraf formula on Kashmir which laid out a four-point formula with the late Parvez Musharaf.
Dr. Singh also inaugurated the historic Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service in April 2005. This bus service was a confidence-building measure between India and Pakistan and Kashmir. This service was in line with the initiative of making borders soft for the free movement of people.
"This is the first step on the long road of peace," Singh had said in Srinagar while flagging off the bus.
To concretize the four-point formula, Dr Singh had appointed a special envoy, Satinder Lamba, who had held secret meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Tariq Aziz. These meetings were held to lay the ground for a framework agreement that Singh hoped to sign with then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
In 2006, Dr Singh initiated a round-table conference on Kashmir. "Every resident of Jammu & Kashmir, irrespective of his/her religion and region, should lead a life of dignity free from oppression, poverty and fear,” Singh had said when he had inaugurated the second round table Conference in Srinagar in April 2006 before its first leg was held in Delhi in February the same year. The round table conferences were boycotted by the separatist groups but were attended by the mainstream political, leaders.
In September 2005, Dr Singh as PM held a dialogue with the Kashmiri separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Fazal Haque Qureshi and Bilal Lone. Late Syed Ali Geelani, who was known as a hardliner Hurriyat leader, boycotted these meetings. In 2006, jailed JKLF separatist leader Yasin Malik had also held dialogue with Manmohan Singh.
One of Dr. Singh’s significant contributions was the introduction of comprehensive economic packages for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. His government approved a financial package worth ₹24,000 crore to improve infrastructure, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities in the region.
Dr Manmohan Singh’s government emphasised education and vocational training. Initiatives like the establishment of central universities and skill development programs created new opportunities for Kashmiri youth, reducing unemployment and fostering hope for a brighter future
Former minister and Congress leader, Saif U Din Soz, in his book, Kashmir-Glimpses of History and the Story of Struggles- writes that he made efforts for the meeting between Manmohan Singh and Hurriyat Conference leaders.
"The agencies were deadly opposed to a scheduled meeting like this with the Hurriyat leadership. They did not succeed as the PM had made up his mind. Finally, the then national security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, persuaded the principal secretary to the PM, Kutty Nair, to fix a meeting during the day in South Block. But I insisted that the meeting should take place at his residence (7 Race Course Road) and it had to be open-ended. The PM agreed and the two-and-a-half hour meeting finally took place on 5 September 2005,” Soz writes.
The Congress leader says that unfortunately, the process could not proceed further, essentially because the security agencies were not comfortable with it.
Reminiscing the dialogue with the late Dr Singh, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the Hurriyat Conference felt sad about the demise of the former PM.
"Saddened by the demise of Dr. Manmohan Singhji. I recall our meetings, both during his tenure as PM and before, where his sincerity towards dialogue on Kashmir and fostering people-to-people contact across borders was evident. He believed in open borders and lasting peace with neighbours and engaged with us in Hurriyat with an open mind. A statesman committed to harmony and resolution. Condolences to his family, May his soul rest in peace," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. (With inputs from Mohd Ashraf Ganie)
