An all-party delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday evening to hold discussions on breaking the cycle of violence in the Valley.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) – which had boycotted the July 12 all party meeting in Srinagar despite a request from the Prime Minister – will not be attending this discussion too.
At the time of the July 12 meeting, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti turned down Mr. Abdullah's invitation, saying she would only attend a meeting called by the Prime Minister. This time, she said this meeting was taking place at Mr. Abdullah's initiative and since her party had nothing to do with the July 12 conclave convened by the State government, she saw no point in attending this discussion.
Ms. Mehbooba and her party have, therefore, come in for criticism from other parties, particularly from members of the ruling National Conference-Congress combine, who feel that the PDP cannot simultaneously expect to be described as a nationalist party, while it attempts to try and occupy the space of the Hurriyat Conference and its separatist agenda. The PDP patron and Ms. Mehbooba's father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has also come in for criticism.
Limited options
This meeting is likely to be followed by an all-party meeting at the national level.
Meanwhile, senior government sources told TheHindu that the Centre's options were limited: it could neither afford to change the Chief Minister nor impose Governor's rule – nor intervene too much as that would further “erode Mr. Abdullah's authority.”
If the BJP's is a hardline stance – no withdrawing of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or giving any quarter to the protesters – the Congress unit in J&K is divided: one section favours a tough line similar to that of the BJP and the other's response is closer to that of the NC.
Those attending Tuesday's meeting will include Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Ali Mohammed Sagar and Abdul Rahim Rather – all from the NC — while Saif-ud-din Soz will lead the Congress delegation.
Others invited for the meeting are the CPI(M)'s Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, J&K Panthers Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Democratic Freedom Party.
