Oppn demands President intervention to control Kashmir situation

20 August, New Delhi

Combined opposition parties, led by National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, today demanded President Pranab Mukherjee’s immediate intervention to resolve the Kashmir crisis, highlighting the gravity of the situation in the state.

“Kashmir is a political issue which needed to be addressed politically not administratively,” Abdullah said while briefing reporters in the Rashtrapati Bhavan after meeting the President. He said it was the job of government but was done by the opposition. Though, he said, they did not ask for dismissal of the PDP-BJP government in the state, they urged the President to persuade the Central government to take necessary steps to improve the situation in the Valley.

Slamming the BJP-led Central government, Abdullah said the NDA had failed to control situation in Kashmir. “Millions of pellet were fired by security forces to control agitated mob injuring hundreds of people,” he said and pointed out that the situation in the Valley after the killing of Burhan Wani by Armed forces last month had worsen.

Giving reference of situation that occurred in 2010, he said the then Congress government had sent interlocutors to mediate the situation politically which worked effectively. “But it was shocking that more and more people were coming to streets agitating against the security forces and political leadership was quite over the issue.”

Earlier on Thursday, the opposition parties met in Srinagar and demanded a probe by a retired Supreme Court judge into allegations of excessive use of force by security personnel. They had also sought a special session of the Assembly to discuss the situation.In reply to a question, Abdullah said Pakistan had been interfering in the Kashmir issue for the last 25 years resulting in deterioration of the situation. But the current crisis was a result of killing of Wani which was later fuelled by Pakistan.