Opposition leaders to visit J-K on Saturday; Rahul likely to join

New Delhi, August 23  

Leaders of various opposition parties will visit Srinagar on Saturday to meet people of Jammu and Kashmir where restrictions are imposed after the Centre withdrew special status to the state and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.

Meanwhile, the J-K Government requested the political leaders to not visit the state and said they would be violating restrictions which are there in many places.

“At a time when the government is trying to protect the people of Jammu & Kashmir from the threat of cross border terrorism and attacks by militants and separatists and gradually trying to restore public order by controlling miscreants and mischief mongers, attempts should not be made by senior political leaders to disturb the gradual restoration of normal life.

“Political leaders are requested to cooperate and not visit Srinagar as they would be putting other people to inconvenience. They would also be violating restrictions that are still there in many areas. Senior leaders should understand that top priority would be given to maintaining peace, order and preventing loss of human lives,” it said.

According to sources, some of the parties that will be part of the opposition all-party delegation are Congress, CPI-M, CPI, RJD, NCP, TMC and DMK.

The sources said top Congress leaders who will visit Srinagar are Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. Rahul Gandhi is likely to accompany them.

CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, RJD’s Manoj Jha and Dinesh Trivedi from TMC will also be part of the delegation that will leave for Srinagar around noon from Delhi airport, the sources said.

Senior Congress leaders were huddled in a meeting on Friday evening to discuss the issue within the party.

The sources said the leaders also intend to visit some other parts of the state, if allowed to enter.

So far, the government has not allowed any political leader to enter the state ever since provisions of Article 370 were abrogated by the Centre.

Leaders of regional parties, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been put under house arrest.

Congress MP Azad was not allowed to enter the state and was stopped twice, both at Srinagar and Jammu.

Earlier, Raja was also stopped at Srinagar airport and sent back.

Rahul Gandhi had recently asked Governor Satya Pal Malik when he could come to the state and meet people without any conditions. — PTI