J&K: All-party delegation interacts with civil society members

The all-party delegation on Monday held discussions with the members of civil society on the second day of its visit to Jammu and Kashmir after efforts of some members to bring the separatists to dialogue table failed.

The separatists rebuffed the offer of talks made by some parliamentarians who broke from regular meetings yesterday and reached out to convince them to present their point of view before the delegation.

CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was one of the parliamentarians who tried to meet the separatists, said on Monday they must enter an unconditional dialogue with the delegation. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the decision to reach out to separatists was individual decision of some Members of Parliament and not that of government or the delegation.

The delegation will leave for Jammu where they are likely to meet the representatives of Kashmiri Pandits among other civil society members. On Sunday, the delegation met about 300 members in about 30 delegations from various sections of society to find a common solution for restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir which faced violent protests since the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani on July 8.