SRI NAGAR: Top J&K BJP leaders on Tuesday left for a two-day visit to New Delhi to hold talks with the party’s national leadership to end the deadlock on government formation with the PDP.
“Three J&K BJP leaders — state president Sat Pal Sharma, former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and former party state president Jugal Kishore — left for New Delhi today,” J&K BJP general secretary (Organisation), Ashok Koul told Express. He said the three leaders would be camping in the national capital for two days and would hold talks with party central leadership. Another BJP leader said the state leaders would be meeting party president Amit Shah and other top leaders during their two-day stay in the national capital.
“The trio will also meet the party’s national general secretary Ram Madhav and J&K incharge Avinash Khanna, who played a key role in stitching the alliance with the PDP,” he said. He added that the talks would focus on government formation in J&K. The BJP leader said there were chances that party’s general secretary Ram Madhav may visit the Valley next week to meet Mehbooba to break the impasse on the government formation.
“Although it is not final yet, but after deliberations with state party leaders, there are chances that Ram Madhav, who played a key role in stitching alliance with PDP, may meet PDP president at her residence in Srinagar next week,” he said.
According to him, Madhav may come with a message for Mehbooba and may assure her of continued support from the Centre, especially about the release of more Central funds for the state. The release of more Central funds is one of the demands of Mehbooba, who is upset over inadequate relief to 2014 flood victims by the central government.
Pak envoy meets hurriyat leader
New Delhi: Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit met Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday — a direct signal that Kashmir will be raked up by Islamabad, if New Delhi brings terror to the table for the still-unscheduled meeting of foreign secretaries. Basit had also met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leader of the moderate Hurriyat faction.