Farooq, Raja demand political solution to Kashmir, urge Centre to have peace talks

New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and CPI national secretary D Raja on Wednesday called for a "political solution" to troubled Kashmir.

The two leaders, who held discussions on the situation in the region, urged the Centre to engage all "stakeholders" from the state in a dialogue to bring peace back to the valley, a Left party member said.

The meeting followed Abdullah's discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on the issue on Wednesday.

"The two leaders agreed that it is a political problem which needs to be addressed politically," the member said. Abdullah and Raja noted with concern the unusual phenomenon of women, particularly girl students, taking to the streets against security forces.

The protests in the valley erupted after security personnel clashed with a group of students inside Pulwama's Government Degree College last month.

"Women's participation in the protests shows the gravity of the situation. The two leaders opined that the Centre must express concern and reach out to all stakeholders to regain the confidence of the people," the member added.

National Conference leader Abdullah, who won the Lok Sabha bypoll from Srinagar held on April 9, had yesterday urged the prime minister to address the issue politically.