Congress to persuade PDP to remain in coalition

New Delhi, Mar 19 (UNI) The Congress is hopeful that it will be able to persuade the Peoples Democratic Party to remain in the Jammu and Kashmir coalition Ministry and not to press for their demand for demilitarisation of the state.

Sources said the Congress was confident that it would be able to convince the PDP that the time was not ripe for any reduction in the forces in the state as it feared there would be an increase in infiltration from across the border at this point of time.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had called former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for talks to end the stand-off between the Congress and the PDP on the issues of reduction in troops and withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). PDP Ministers had boycotted the past three Cabinet meetings.

PDP had also threatened to withdraw from the coalition if their demands were not met.

Sources said the Congress was firm that it would not compromise on the national security issue as the Prime Minister had already said it was not possible to accede to the PDP demands at the moment.

The Congress, sources said, was likely to ask the PDP to wait for a couple of months after which the situation could be reviewed.

Sources said, that for Congress ,being a national party, it was very difficult to concede demilitarisation of the trouble-torn state.

The Hurriyat and Pakistan were also pursuing the same line that the the state be demilitarised first to negotiate on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

UNI