Srinagar, July 11 (IANS) The decision of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stay away from the all-party meeting called Monday by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has disappointed political watchers here, even as ruling National Conference leaders say the government must take further political initiatives to control the volatile situation in the state.
‘The all-party meeting being held here tomorrow (Monday) cannot deliver any magic solutions pertaining to the present law and order situation in Kashmir,’ a senior National Conference minister said.
‘After even the prime minister urged her to join the all-party meeting, the decision taken by Mehbooba Mufti must remove any leftover doubts about the PDP playing a constructive role as the opposition here,’ the minister said, after the PDP confirmed its decision to stay away from the meeting.
With 21 members in the 87-member state legislative assembly, the PDP is the second largest party in the state. The National Conference has 28, the Congress 17, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 11 and the Panthers’ Party three. The others include four Independents and one each of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Democratic Party Nationalist and the People’s Democratic Front.
Omar Abdullah had personally called Mehbooba Saturday to invite her to the meeting, even after the PDP announced it would stay away.
On Sunday, Mehbooba said the situation in the Kashmir Valley was ‘so bad that nothing at the level of the state government, that has been discredited, will help… unless there is a bigger initiative which will be taken seriously by the people who are caught in a prison like situation’.
‘I told the PM to excuse us. But we are looking forward to a bigger initiative from him,’ she said while speaking to reporters here, but didn’t elaborate.
‘The PDP seems to be bent upon encashing upon the public anger here which is presently against the Omar Abdullah government because of a number of things Omar did not do or should have done,’ said Naseer Ahmad, bureau chief of a private television news channel here.
‘But, honestly speaking, the young chief minister cannot be blamed for what is happening here though questions would always be asked about how best could the law and order situation be addressed,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Omar’s father and New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah will also be present in the meeting.
The elder Abdullah has been chief minister of the state thrice. Before arriving in Srinagar Saturday, he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P.Chidambaram and assured that Omar would be able to tide over the present turmoil as he would camp here and personally lend all possible assistance in bringing back normality in the Valley.
‘After the situation shows sign of normalcy, the National Conference would definitely reframe its policies which would be now pro-actively political rather than chiefly development-oriented, said sources close to Farooq Abdullah, who is also the party president.
National Conference leaders firmly believe that the Omar Abdullah government has decided to pull up its socks and seriously introspect over its next political initiative in Kashmir.
‘Omar said it emphatically that no economic development or progress would yield any results unless these were matched with political initiatives aimed at addressing the aspirations of the people here,’ a middle-level National Conference leader said.
The Kashmir Valley has been tense for days after security forces shot dead nearly a dozen people during street protests.
