A crucial meeting of the high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Monday put on hold any decision on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) .
It also and decided to convene an all-party meeting on Wednesday to find a way forward for restarting the process of dialogue with different sections of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The CCS, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for nearly three hours and reviewed the situation in the State where the cycle of violence has continued since June, expressed its distress at the turn of events since Eid.
On the fresh spurt of violence on Monday in the Kashmir Valley, the CCS expressed its profound grief at the loss of lives and offered its condolences to the bereaved families.
“The UPA government has always held the belief that dialogue and discussion is the only way forward to find an honourable and lasting solution. In the past too, the UPA government had taken several initiatives to hold a dialogue with different political parties and political groups, including the Hurriyat. Those efforts did yield some results. It was — and it remains — the intention of the UPA government to restart the process of dialogue. The dialogue can embrace all the issues that agitate the minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth. The dialogue can address issues such as the trust deficit and the governance deficit,” a statement issued after the meeting said.
“The CCS reiterates the government's intention to restart the process of dialogue with different sections of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Towards this end, the CCS has decided to convene a meeting of all political parties at New Delhi on Wednesday and elicit their views on the way forward. The government hopes that following the all-party meeting, it would be able to engage the people of Jammu and Kashmir and take certain initiatives and measures that will build confidence among the people…,” it said.
