Mehbooba calls for dialogue with Hurriyat Conference

Srinagar, Sep 3 (PTI) On the eve of the visit of anall-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief MinisterMehbooba Mufti today called for engaging all sections of thesociety, including Hurriyat Conference, in a credible andmeaningful political dialogue for resolution of the problemsin the Valley. The country’s political leadership must, without anyfurther delay, reach out to and engage all sections of thesociety, including leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, in aproductive dialogue process to resolve the issue and makepeace a reality in Jammu and Kashmir, she said while visitingthe family of a person killed in firing by security forces. Seventy people have been killed and thousands injured inviolence in Kashmir Valley following the killing of HizbulMujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8. "Visited the family of late Mashooq Ahmed, firing victimof Kund, Kulgam and offered heartfelt condolences to thebereaved family… The loss of human lives is a colossaltragedy and every one should strive for peace in J&K," sheposted on Facebook. The Chief Minister said it is perhaps for the first timethat the Kashmir issue has been, during the past two months,discussed in so many forums and at so many levels includingParliament and at all-party meetings where judicious viewswere put across by all shades of the country’s politicalopinion on how to end the stalemate. The need of the hour is to build on this larger politicalconsensus within the country and initiate tangible measures toaddress the issue, she said. Mehbooba said the present situation in Kashmir calls forevery right thinking party, group or individual to rise to theoccasion and strive for finding ways and avenues for therestoration of peace and resolution of the problem. "Right now Kashmir is again embroiled in a burningsituation and we have hope that all sides will pick upelements of sanity and pragmatism and strike a new benchmarktowards the resolution of the problem in light of the globaland sub-continental realities," she said. While the separatist leadership shall also have to take astep forward, the Centre on its part shall have to put off thefire on internal discontent, Mehbooba said. Congress, CPI(M) and many other parties pitched forholding dialogue with "all stakeholders", including Hurriyat,to douse the unrest in Kashmir, at a meeting held by thegovernment in New Delhi today to brief the MPs who are part ofthe 30-member delegation about the visit to the state onSeptember 4-5. PTI MIJ SMN RGSMN