Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Saturday welcomed the DGMO-level talks between India and Pakistan.

 

 He asserted the sanctity of the ceasefire agreement between the two nations must be respected at all costs.

 

 Addressing a public meeting in the border town of Arnia in Jammu district, Sayeed said the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level meeting between the two countries was a follow-up action of the meeting held between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York in September.

 

 "The DGMO-level talks between India and Pakistan with a commitment and focus on maintaining truce along the Line of Control (LoC) is a praiseworthy move," he said and stressed on evolving a mechanism to avoid ceasefire violations and hostilities at the border in future.

 

 "Both the countries have realised there is no alternative to peace," he said while mentioning statements of Punjab (Pakistan) Chief Minister Shahwaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz Sharif, on strengthening India-Pakistan ties.

 

 Terming the ceasefire on borders as the most significant step taken by both the countries for sustainability of peace process, he said truce should be maintained at any cost for the safety and normality of lives of people living there.

 

 "People of Jammu and Kashmir have high stakes in peace because they are the worst sufferers of hostility between the two neighbouring countries.

 

 "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is an ardent supporter of improvement of relations with India. So, I am confident whosoever will form the next government in India will also take effective steps to further strengthen relations with Pakistan," he said and argued that to emerge as an economic power, India has to normalise relations with Pakistan.

 

 Reiterating that PDP, as a credible regional power, would facilitate betterment of India-Pakistan relations, Sayeed said his party played this role successfully during its tenure in the government.

 

 He asserted the biggest achievements of PDP was it created conducive atmosphere for initiating peace process and taking confidence-building measures to normalise relations between the two nations.