Yechury also rubbished reports of a hardening of stance against separatist leaders, stating that the Home Minister said in all party meet that reports of the government deciding to crack down on separatists is absolutely wrong. “Delegation feels there’s no place for violence in a civilised society, there can be no compromise on issue of national sovereignty”, Minister of State Jitendra Singh told the media.
Advertisement
He said that a power point presentation on the crisis was made by Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, who joined the famed Centre for Development Studies here in 1983 as an M.Phil candidate and went on to do his Phd programme at the same institute in 1986). “Similar decision of no talks was conveyed to the delegation, which later went to meet executive member Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat at his residence”. The all-party parliamentary delegation’s call evoked mixed reactions today with opposition National Conference saying it can not lay claim to a “single achievement” but some others terming it as “significant”.
After his meeting with Mirwaiz, Yechury said, “We are urging both sides to first restore normalcy and ensure that sufferings of people during last two months ends”. “Everyone wants that the situation must improve”. “The shells will not take lives”.
He also dismissed any possibility of an India-Pakistan dialogue over Kashmir, rejecting a key demand of separatist leaders.
He said to address concerns of Kashmiri youths living in different parts of the country the ministry has appointed Dr Sanjay Rai as nodal officer who can be approached on phone numbers 011-23092923, 23092885.
Talking to reporters after the meeting Ram Madhav said, the meeting deliberated on the Kashmir situation and that future course of action will be decided after the all party meeting to be held today.
More than 30 delegations comprising 300 members from political parties, civil society, University teachers, fruit growers, students and intellectuals have presented their view before the delegation, he said.
The Hurriyat Conference strongly condemned the use of force and firing of pellets and bullets by the forces in south and north Kashmir in general and Kulgam, Lolab, Kupwara, Palpora and Noor Bagh in particular as a result of which hundreds of people had been injured.
He said the MPs who have come here this time face a mammoth task in their hands to revive faith in this process.
The members have also requested the governments to take effective steps to provide medical treatment to citizens and security personnel injured in the agitations.
Advertisement
It was also emphasised that rehabilitation of released/surrendered militants is also very important for which the Government already has a scheme.
