‘PM Modi has the will and capacity to end Kashmir impasse’

‘It is high time that the Central government should reach out to the Kashmiri youth’.

dor), while advocating more trade routes for the Kashmir valley including reopening of the erstwhile silk route. During a conlave on Friday, CM Mufti pitched for the phased revocation of AFSPA from the peaceful areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

She clarified that PM Modi was very receptive to the idea of creating a real federal structure in the country.

She said that the agenda of alliance between the PDP and the BJP is a signed document and although it is the way forward in matters of governance in J&K, it cannot be implemented overnight.

CM Mufti further said that it was high time that the Central government should reach out to the Kashmiri youth, who, according to her, feel that they are excluded from the process of reconciliation.

CM Mufti is seen to be on a weak wicket in Srinagar and Anantnag, both of which are going to have byelections. Opposition National Conference and Congress have forged a pre-poll alliance to make matters worse.

The PDP will be facing its first test in these byelections after the summer unrest of 2016. The PDP is banking on Hurriyat’s election boycott call as low turnout may improve her party’s prospects. The PDP is facing the opposition’s heat with former CM Omar Abdullah saying that the ruling party is following the RSS’ diktats like a lamb.

Mehbooba Mufti is hopeful that if PM Modi announces the start of a political dialogue then the public’s wrath against her may mellow down. The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit has said the party wants to field their candidates from both Anantnag and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituencies where byelections are due. The BJP’s J&K unit distanced itself from ally People’s Democtaic Party’s fresh assertion for dialogue, reaching out to the youth and revocation of AFSPA.

BJP’s state general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul on Tuesday told the media that they were not in favor of revocation of AFSPA or talk with separatists. He was seconded by state party president Sat Sharma. Sharma further told this newspaper that the party’s state unit has sent names of probable candidates for the two constituencies to the BJP high command.

The state BJP unit is very angry for the way PDP has handled the recent violence and has been irked by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s statements that advocated talks with Pakistan and repealing the AFSPA.

The BJP high command is yet to stamp the state unit’s view of fighting the byelections independently. Apparently, CM Mufti is annoyed by the BJP’s state unit’s stand and has conveyed to the party’s central leadership that such open opposition will weaken her position in J&K further. A senior PDP leader told this newspaper that the BJP’s decision will not impact their candidates’ prospects. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had got only 1.3% of the votes polled in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, sources in the state BJP unit said that they will also stake claim on all the three seats of the legislative council in the Jammu region.