- APD to visit Delhi to meet PM
- If AoA implemented, situation can get better
The All Party Meeting (APM) convened by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday appealed Government of India (GoI) to consider a unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir starting from Ramzan in mid May till the completion of the Amarnath yatra in August.
“The GoI should announce unilateral ceasefire starting from Ramzan till Amarnath yatra,” Mehbooba told reporters after conclusion of four-hour All Party Meeting (APM) convened by her to discuss the present situation in the Valley especially after a tourist from Chennai died due to stone pelting on May 7.
She appealed to all shades of opinion in joining in the mission to get the state out of violence and bloodshed.
“Everyone (all parties) agreed that we should appeal to the Centre to consider a ceasefire like the unilateral ceasefire in (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee’s time in Ramzan (later this month) till Amarnath yatra and Eid.”
She said a ceasefire would provide relief to the people and help create a better atmosphere in the state.
“The GoI should think on these lines so that the common people get some relief because they are facing many difficulties due of encounters, crackdowns and search operations,” she said.
“Now, Ramzan is starting, then (Amarnath) yatra is taking place, so we should try to take such steps which restore the confidence of the people and a better atmosphere is created in which Eid is celebrated in a good way and yatra also takes place well,” the chief minister said.
Mehbooba said many participants suggested taking an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express concern over the situation and request him to implement what “he said on August 15 (last year) about embracing the people of the state, about how do we reach out to the people, especially the youth.”
“That is all that we have been able to build a consensus on so far,” she said.
Terming Agenda of Alliance (AoA) as a visionary document, Mehbooba said the need of the hour is to go back to the document and seek its immediate implementation which she said holds key to the problems and issues confronting the State.
She said all the participants agreed that if the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ (AoA)– the common minimum programme between the PDP and the BJP – is implemented, the situation in the state can get better.
The newly-appointed Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta also stressed on close cooperation between the government and the opposition in tackling issues confronting the state.
