NEW DELHI: Mehbooba Mufti and some other PDP leaders would be coming to the national capital soon to hold talks with union ministers and BJP leaders to work out a timeline of projects as envisaged in the common minimum programme between the alliance partners.
This is seen as a step towards government formation by the PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu & Kashmir.
The development comes after BJP general secretary Ram Madhav met PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti at her residence in Srinagar on Wednesday. Madhav said the BJP would stick to the CMP, the old arrangement that was worked out between the two partners, formed with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. “There can be no dilution or addition to the document,” Madhav said, thus dismissing any talks of change in position on contentious issues like AFSPA, holding talks with separatists or any new confidence building measures.
Madhav said, “Both sides were positive on government formation.” But he refused to give any timeframe for government formation in the State. Sources said among the issues for which further talks will be held between the BJP and PDP includes those already mentioned in the CMP like setting up of townships for Kashmiri pundits and flood relief to the those affected. PDP leaders would be coming to Delhi to ministers to thrash out any differences with BJP leadership.
Meanwhile, Madhav denied a media report which said that the BJP has agreed to revoke AFSPA from some areas of Kashmir on trial basis, claiming that there has been no discussion on it.
Madhav said he had conveyed to Mehbooba that the government under her late father was running well and the BJP wanted the arrangement to continue. The State BJP is hopeful of forming coalition government in the State soon, but its ally PDP is skeptical.“The hour-long meeting between Mehbooba and Madhav will set the government formation process in motion,” a BJP leader said. “Mehbooba and Madhav held a detailed discussion on the government formation, but no agreement on forming the government was reached,” a senior PDP leader said.
Police Advisory on Encounters
Srinagar: After some “accident deaths” during encounters, the J&K police on Thursday issued an advisory to the people. In case any encounter starts, people, especially the parents of youth of nearby area, were advised not to allow their wards to move towards the site, it said. The advisory warned people not to rush towards the encounter site soon after the end of encounter.