Prime Minister to visit Kashmir as scheduled
| New Delhi, May 21 : Despite the militant attack on a Congress rally in Srinagar today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he will will visit Kashmir, as scheduled, to attend the Round Table conference convened by him for May 24-25 in an effort to carry forward the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. Condemning the terrorist attack on the rally in which seven people were killed, the Prime Minister said, ''Such cowardly acts will not weaken the resolve of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to find a peaceful resolution to the problem of the state.'' ''It is only through dialogue that we can find a lasting solution,'' Dr Singh added. ''The Prime Minister is looking forward to his visit to Srinagar next week,'' his media advisor Sanjaya Baru said. Dr Singh has also conveyed his deep sympathies to the families of those killed in the attack. The conference, which was earlier slated to be held on May 25, will now start on the afternoon of May 24 prior to which the Prime Minister, for the first time, will chair a high-level meeting of the Unified Command to discuss various measures for Jammu and Kashmir, including the much talked about troop reduction in the Valley. Official sources said the conference was spread out over two days to accommodate views from a wide section of the society. During the crucial Unified Command meeting, a presentation will be made by the army, central paramilitary forces, state police and the intelligence bureau about the militancy situation in the state. The second roundtable conference assumes significance as some separatist outfits, including a faction of the Hurriyat Conference have decided to boycott the parleys, though the amalgam was still non-committal about its participation. During his two day visit, Dr Singh will also meet state government officials to review the Reconstruction Plan launched to boost infrastructure facilities in the state. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has also condemned the terrorist attack on the rally, organized by the Youth Congress to commemmorate the 15th death anniversary of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Congress leader and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said the militants had purposely planned the attack just two days before the second Round Table conference. ''The attempts by a few microscopic sections cannot derail the peace process,'' she said, adding that the conference would go ahead despite the threat by the militants. National Conference Leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti have also condemned today's attack, saying, whenever there is an attempt towards bringing peace to Kashmir, the militants strike. Just before the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was flagged off by the Prime Minister in April last year, militants launched a huge strike to scare away the passengers. The India-Pakistan dialogue on Siachen is scheduled to begin in New Delhi on May 23 and 24. It was only yesterday that Dr Singh briefed the CWC about the Srinagar Round Table amid indications that the Hurriyat Conference may not participiate in the conference. PMO sources said it was for the participants to finalise the agenda of the conference. While pro-Pakistan leader and senior Jamaat functionary Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said he will not participate in the meeting on the ground that it is a futile exercise, the moderate Hurriyat, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has been non-committal on its participation even as it has insisted that only those who challenge the Indian Constitution should be invited to the conclave. The first Round Table conference was held in New Delhi on February 25 which was boycotted by majority of separatist leaders. UNI Related Stories |
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