J&K crisis: Mehbooba for talks with all stakeholders

Mehbooba invoked Vajpayee's policy on Kashmir, and said the thread should be picked up from where he had left — an apparent suggestion for talks with separatists

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the Prime Minister appears amenable to holding talks with all stakeholders in a bid to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation in the Valley. However, she cautioned, “An atmosphere needs to be created for a dialogue.”

“Talks cannot happen amid stone-pelting and firing of bullets,” she told reporters after a 20-minute meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence.

At the meeting, she invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's policy on Kashmir, and said the thread should be picked up from where he had left off — an apparent suggestion for talks with separatists. “The PM has an intention of holding talks after the situation becomes normal,” Mehbooba told reporters.

Kashmir is in the grip of increased violence since the April 9 by-poll for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. The security forces are under intense pressure as they are faced with daily protests and stone-pelting.

The army and the CRPF have received some praise for showing restraint under provocation, and also come under criticism, especially after a video showed a civilian tied to a jeep as a human shield as it drove through the streets to avoid being attacked.

“Talks are the only option,” Mehbooba said, adding, “How long can you have a confrontation."

“Talks with the Hurriyat (Conference) had taken place when Vajpayeeji was the PM and L.K. Advani was the

deputy PM. We need to start from where Vajpayeeji left. Talks are the only way out,” the Kashmir CM said.

Referring to the increase in stone-pelting incidents in the Valley, she said there were some young people who were disillusioned while some were being instigated, often through the use of social media sites such as Facebook and Whatsapp.

Rising tensions between the coalition partners, the PDP and the BJP, over the handling of the security situation in Kashmir also came up at the meeting.