Omar meets Sonia

KASHMIR-OMAR

New Delhi, Sept 13 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday met Congress president Sonia
Gandhi ahead of the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security
meeting which will deliberate on the issue of partial
withdrawal of controversial AFSPA from the state.
The meeting lasted for about 15 minutes.
A much-awaited Eid package to break the impasse in
Kashmir is expected to be discussed at the meeting.
Omar has been pressing the Centre to withdraw the
AFSPA from some areas of the state and announce some political
initiatives. The Chief Minister said he was working with the
Centre on confidence-building measures to restore normalcy in
the Valley.
But genuine questions would arise on how the process
could be carried forward if violence goes on, he had said
yesterday adding, it is a "chicken and egg situation -- what
comes first".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President
Sonia Gandhi had a threadbare discussion with Cabinet
colleagues and senior party leaders in the Congress Core Group
on Friday on the issue after which indications had emerged
that government could announce some initiatives to end the
three-month-long cycle of violence in the Valley.
However, a sudden flare-up of violence in Srinagar on
the day of Eid appeared to have put the Government in a spot.
The opposition BJP has warned that any dilution to Armed
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) would only allow the
separatists to call the shots.PTI AMR RET
MRD


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