J&K parties push for Ramzan ceasefire'

Srinagar: In the backdrop of escalation of separatist violence in Kashmir and simmering anger among its youth, an all-party meeting held in Srinagar on Wednesday urged New Delhi to consider a ceasefire in the state during the coming Muslim fasting month of Ramzan and the Amarnath Yatra.

The meeting was convened by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who told reporters: “It was the unanimous decision of all parties during the meeting that the Government of India consider a ceasefire ahead of Ramzan and the Amarnath Yatra. People are facing problems because of the security forces’ crackdowns and search operations. If these are put to a halt and an unilateral ceasefire announced, people will get some relief,” she said.

She said it was also decided at the meeting that an all-party delegation will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon to make a formal request for a ceasefire and also to discuss the urgency of political outreach. Incidentally, the Prime Minister is due to visit all the three regions of the state — Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh — later this month.

The chief minister said it was satisfying to note that all participants were unanimously concerned about the unending cycle of violence in the state and wished its immediate end. “Everyone voiced concern over the killings that are taking place and over our young now turning to the gun, and the stone-pelting incidents in which we also lost a young boy from Tamil Nadu,” she said.

She added: “The unanimous view was that such steps should be initiated that will act towards building confidence and providing relief to the people during Ramzan, Id and the Amarnath Yatra.”

The CM said: “Equally encouraging was that the participants wanted implementation of the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ which they believed would positively change the situation in the state.” The “Agenda of the Alliance” is the common minimum programme agreed on between the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP before government formation in 2015. “They asked why it is not being implemented,” she said.

She said an appeal would be made to the Centre to announce a unilateral cessation of hostilities in view of the coming month of Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra for extending relief to masses. “A suggestion also came up that an all-party delegation should meet the Prime Minister to apprise him of the emerging challenges in Jammu and Kashmir and the urgent need of reaching out to people in the light of his last Independence Day speech in which he had said ‘Na goli se, na gaali se, Kashmir ki samasya suljhe gi gale lagaane se (Kashmir problem will not be solved by bullets or abuses but only with embracing the people)’.”, she said.

Earlier, PDP-BJP government chief spokesman and works minister Syed Naeem Akhter said the general feeling among participants at the all-party meeting was that there should be a political outreach on Kashmir. “The general feeling is that there should be a political outreach on Kashmir,” he told reporters. He also said the participants also called for the country’s leadership to take a leaf out of then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee’s 2002 initiatives.

The meeting was called by the CM to deliberate on the worsening situation in the wake of civilian and militant deaths in security forces’ operations.