Kashmir unrest: Mehbooba calls all-party meet, NC to skip

SRINAGAR: In the wake of violent protests over the killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has called an all-party meeting today to discuss the current situation in the valley.

The invitation has been extended to all major mainstream parties.

However, the National Conference will not attend the meeting as it feels the meeting would prove to be 'meaningless' unless a credible, effective and humane leadership is re-established in the state.

National Conference legislator Ali Muhammad Sagar in a statement yesterday said it was extremely unfortunate that although the Chief Minister saw it apt to call a meeting of the civil society in Srinagar within days of protests breaking out, it has taken almost two weeks to call a meeting of all political parties.

The development comes days after National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had raised questions on Jammu and Kashmir being ‘unrepresented’ at a high-level meeting convened by Prime Minister Modi to review the law and order situation of the state following the spate of violence.

The decision to convene the all-party meet comes 10 days after the killing of Wani in an encounter with security forces earlier on July 8, which led to violent clashes between protestors and law enforcing agencies across the valley, leaving as many as 44 persons dead and over 3400 others injured.

Meanwhile, the separatists have decided to extend their shutdown call up to July 25 even as the authorities have clamped curfew in certain regions.