The remarks came close on the heels of former Union minister P Chidambaram batting for sending an all-party delegation to the Valley.
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The delegation said, “continued failure to address the unrest in Kashmir will further deepen the sense of alienation” and hoped that the Prime Minister “will take immediate measures to address this grave situation”.
“There has to be a dialogue and we need to find a permanent and lasting solution to the problem within the framework of the Constitution”.
The situation in the Valley, which continues to remain under curfew for last 45 days, prompted all the opposition parties in the state, cutting across party lines, to join hands and request the Centre for initiating a political dialogue with all stake holders in the state.
The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Mohammad Yasin Malik and other Hurriyet leaders in their separate statements denounced the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks against Kashmiri protesters.
Leaders of opposition parties led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged the Prime Minister for a political initiative to deal with the situation in the state.
State Congress chief G.A. Mir said their meeting with the Prime Minister may augur well for Kashmir.
“If we don’t find a political solution to this, then every time we’ll repeat the same mistake”, he said. “The Prime Minister agreed that development isn’t the only way out, indicating a thinking that a dialogue over Kashmir is being considered”.
Security forces retaliated by firing tear smoke shells and pellet guns, the official said, adding 17 people received pellet injuries.
This is the second visit of Mr. Singh in a month to the Valley, which has been witnessing unrest since July 8 when Hizb-ul Mujahideen “commander” Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces.
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As many as 65 people, including two policemen, have been killed and several thousand were injured so far in different violence. Liberation leaders including Sikh leader, Narender Singh addressing thousands of people during a protest rally in Badgam urged the worldwide community to stop India from committing violence in Kashmir.
