Oppn parties to meet next week to devise strategy

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 23

Buoyed by their encouraging meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition parties in the state have decided to meet next week to devise a strategy for future course of action. The Opposition parties will wait for the response of the state and Central governments before taking any further decision.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) spokesman Ravinder Sharma, who was a part of the delegation that visited Delhi to apprise the national leadership about prevailing situation in the state in general and the Kashmir valley in particular, told The Tribune that the delegation’s meetings with the leaders of the all parties were very encouraging. “It is result of our campaign at Delhi that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is again visiting the Kashmir valley to review prevailing situation there,” Sharma claimed while speaking for the Opposition parties. He added that all leaders, with whom the delegation, met were convinced by the suggestions that dialogue was the only way to restore lasting peace in this region. He further said the decision of Rajnath to visit the Valley again was a good beginning and it was an indication that Opposition’s campaign had yielded desirable results.

During his two-day visit to the Kashmir valley beginning on Wednesday, Rajnath will review the situation and may hold talks with a cross-section of people. The Opposition parties have reasons to stake claim that it was result of their campaign that he was coming to Kashmir because on Monday their delegation had met with the Prime Minister.

This is the second visit of Rajnath in a month to the Valley which has been witnessing unrest since July 8 when militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces. Earlier, Rajnath had visited Kashmir on July 23 and 24.

When asked about future course of action of the opposition parties, Ravinder Sharma said all depended on the response of the Centre and state governments. “Our priority is restoration of normalcy in the Valley because all sections of society are bearing brunt of the prevailing turbulence,” he said, adding that it had been decided by Opposition parties to daily review developments in the state for future course of action.