Jammu & Kashmir continued to be tense with protests spreading to the Muslim-dominated localities of Jammu on Tuesday, a day after 18 people were killed and more than 200, including security men, injured during a spate of violent protests. Embattled chief minister Omar Abdullah, meanwhile, has debunked speculation about his resignation.
However, he is believed to be upset about the use of phrases like “trust deficit, governance deficit” in the official statement issued after the meeting of the cabinet committee on security on Monday.
In New Delhi, the Centre hopes to build a consensus on the Kashmir strategy at the all-party meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting aims to look at ways to kick-start the political process in the troubled state and deliberate on a phased withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Sources in the prime minister’s office said they are hopeful that the meeting would come up with some confidence-building measures.
The BJP has set the tone for the meeting with its senior leader LK Advani opposing any dilution of the AFSPA or withdrawal of troops, saying it would mean “surrendering before Islamabad’s strategy of breaking India’s unity”.
The Centre’s efforts, meanwhile, seemed to have garnered strength with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed flying to Delhi to attend the meeting. The PDP had earlier rejected prime minister Manmohan Singh’s appeal to attend a similar meeting convened by Omar Abdullah last month.
— Inputs from Delhi bureau & PTI
