Omar meets Sonia
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah, on Monday met the Congress president, Mrs 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 Id package to break the impasse in Kashmir is expected to be discussed at the meeting. Mr 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 on Sunday adding, it is a "chicken and egg situation — what comes first".
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President, Ms 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 Id 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.
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