A delegation of leaders from the National Conference, led by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. They asked the prime minister to conduct elections in the state before the end of this year, PTI reported.
The leaders, who met Modi for nearly 20 minutes, also appealed to him to not take any decisions that could worsen the situation in Kashmir. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdulah, who was part of the delegation, said they informed Modi about the concerns of Jammu and Kashmir residents.
“I accompanied Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah Sb and Honourable MP Justice Masoodi Sb to a meeting with the Prime Minister this morning,” Omar Abdullah tweeted. “During the course of the meeting we briefed Modi Sb about our assessment of the current situation in the state.”
Omar Abdullah said lakhs of Amarnath Yatra devotees had come to the Valley this year and the influx of tourists had also increased. “The situation is better compared to previous years and we don’t want that it should get disturbed,” ANI quoted him as saying. “It has been 1.5 years since a popular elected government has governed Jammu and Kashmir. People should be given a chance to make a decision.”
On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir’s chief electoral officer had convened a meeting with district election officials to review the Assembly polls process in the state.
President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir was supposed to come to an end on July 2, however it was extended for six months from July 3. The government had said that the decision to extend President’s Rule was taken due to the “prevailing situation” in the state, as reported by Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik.
The meeting with the prime minister comes amid the Centre’s decision to deploy 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces in the state last week. The order reportedly caused anxiety and fear in the state. Earlier this week, the state police had ordered five zonal superintendents of police in Srinagar to submit details of mosques in areas under their jurisdiction.
The orders had fuelled speculations in the Valley about the possibility of a prolonged law-and-order problem in Kashmir. Following which, Governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday asked people not to pay heed to rumours about the special status of the state, saying “everything is normal”.
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