A delegation of leaders from the state opposition parties met PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing situation in the state. The delegation led by former state chief minister Omar Abdullah has been demanding “initiation of dialogue with all stakeholders in the Kashmir valley immediately.”
The Prime Minister also failed to give any firm commitment on the visit of an all-party delegation to the state to assess the situation. The opposition delegation which met the PM on Monday consisted of lawmakers from the National Conference, Congress and the lone CPM member of the state assembly.
Prime Minister’s statement comes a day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a public rally in Jammu that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priorities for the state include, “no compromise on the security and integrity of the country and no compromise with the people who indulge in violence.”
Echoing similar sentiments Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that a handful of people opposed to peace were inciting youth to violence in the Kashmir valley. Speaking at an official function in Bhagwati Nagar area of Jammu, Mehbooba, who visited the city for the first time since the violence began in the valley last month, said these people “who do not want peace in Kashmir are inciting youth to violence for their vested interests”.
The official release issued after the meeting though said that the Prime Minister expressed deep concern and pain at the current situation in the state, he failed to give any firm assurances to the demands put forward by the delegation including the ban on the use of pellet guns on the violent mobs in the state. The release, however, added that his government and the nation stood with Jammu and Kashmir and suggested that all political parties should reach out to the people and convey this. He emphasised the need for all political parties to work together to find a solution to the problems. He expressed his commitment to the development of the state and its people and appealed for restoration of normalcy.
After the meeting, however, the delegation members appeared divided on the Prime Minister’s response. While Abdullah said in a tweet, “we welcome the statement of the Hon PM @narendramodi ji and look forward to working together to find a lasting solution to problems of J&K,” the Congress was not on the same page. At the party’s briefing on Monday, former Union Minister Manish Tewari said, “PM Modi has no coherent policy to deal with Kashmir.” He said that the government also needed to decide on whether it wants to send an all-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, something which the Congress has been demanding since the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere in J&K affairs saying that there has to be a political and not judicial solution to the problems in the state. “This issue has various dimensions and therefore should be dealt politically and moreover, everything cannot be managed within the judicial parameters,” a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said.