New Delhi, Sept. 13: Amidst the sudden flare-up in violence in the Kashmir Valley and objections raised by the armed forces and the BJP, the government on Monday decided not to take a final call on the demand to partially withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some areas in Jammu and Kashmir.
It instead decided to call an all-party meeting on Wednesday to evolve a consensus on the method to deal with the volatile situation in J&K. An all-party delegation is likely to visit the Valley, sources disclosed. While the Centre apparently backed the Omar Abdullah government, the meeting raised questions about governance.
Though it refrained from coming out openly against the state administration, the statement issued after a three-hour meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) read: “The dialogue can address issues such as the trust deficit and the governance deficit.”
It was pointed out that the UPA government has held that “dialogue and discussion is the only way forward to find an honourable and lasting solution”. It was indicated that the UPA favoured restarting “the process of dialogue”.
The CCS, chaired by the Prime Minister, though expressed distress at the “turn of events” in the Valley since Saturday, while differing perceptions expressed by the defence minister, Mr A.K. Antony, and the home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, led to the postponement of a decision on the AFSPA.