With Home Minister Rajnath Singh to undertake a two-day visit to Kashmir Valley on Wednesday, Congress made a strong pitch for initiating talks to calm down the situation in Kashmir for the past 45 days.
“The PM should initiate talks. Unless they take a step forward, situation in J&K won’t improve,” leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said. Former Union Minister P Chidambaram too batted for sending an all-party delegation to the Valley.
“Monday’s meeting between PM & J&K Opposition parties: if it is the first sign of fresh thinking, we must welcome it. Next step should be sending all-party delegation to J&K,” Chidambaram said on micro-blogging site.
Singh will go to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir during his two-day visit and may hold talks with cross sections of people. This is the second visit of Singh in a month to the Valley which has been witnessing unrest since July 8 when Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces.
In a statement through party spokesman Tom Vaddakan, the party welcomed the Home Minister’s decision to visit that valley and expected peace would return there. As many as 65 people, including two policemen, have been killed and several thousand were injured so far in different violence.
“This is result of the Opposition parties meeting the PM and apprising him the ground situation there. Hope that the Centre takes some steps and facilitate providing peace and normalcy in the region which is on the boil for the past one and a half month,” Vadakkan said adding that serious concerns were expressed by party Vice President Rahul Gandhi during his meeting with the opposition parties of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.