Indo-Global Education Summit 2010 By The Indus Foundation, USA
Published on September 20, 2010
On a mission to understand the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the all party delegation on Monday began its two-day exercise with Home Minister P Chidambaram promising the people of the state that their future, honour and dignity are secure as part of India.
While a 15-strong PDP delegation would meet the all party leaders and explained the party’s stand.
Chidambaram said the delegation would like to hear the grievances of the people.
“We hope and believe that the honour, dignity and future (of Kashmiris) are secure as part of India,” he said.
Chidambaram said the delegation has a tight schedule and asked the parties appearing before them to make their presentation effectively.
The 42-member team, which arrived in Srinagar on Monday on a crucial two-day visit to assess the ground situation, was received by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as curfew remained clamped in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
The death toll during violence and clashes in the last three months is now at 103.
The delegation hopes that the leaders of various separatist groups will finally come for the talks to help break the impasse in Kashmir which has witnessed unabated violence over the last few months claiming over 100 lives.
The opposition PDP had on Sunday threatened to reconsider its participation, accusing the Jammu and Kashmir government of “sabotaging” the visit by clamping curfew in the Valley.
“If the repressive measures continue, we will have to reconsider our decision (of being part of the all-party initiative),” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had said.
She had said there was no purpose in the visit of the all-party delegation if the members of the civil society, those raising the voice of dissent and the common people are not allowed to meet it.
Dismissing the PDP charge as misleading and baseless, Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister Ali Mohammad had said it was surprising that it was all praise for the all-party initiative two days ago but has suddenly changed its stand.
“I do not know what has changed in two days. I will leave it to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide who is trying to scuttle the visit of the delegation.”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rejecting the demand for his resignation said without naming any party that those behind it were “some frustrated political elements who failed to make it to the Government in the 2008 elections”.