RTC historic opportunity to settle all issues: Azad

Srinagar, Apr 14 (UNI) Emphasizing the significance of the third roundtable conference scheduled to be held at New Delhi on April 24, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad appealed to all groups including the Hurriyat Conference to take the best advantage of the opportunity, history has provided.

Be part of a unified approach initiated to settle all issues amicably and jointly across the table, he said.

In an informal chat with mediapersons here today, Mr Azad underlined that peace is imperative for development and violence has inflicted upon unprecedented loss to human lives and public property in the state.

''Thousands of people have been killed, women rendered widows, children orphans and destitutes during the militancy period,'' he said.

'We have to work together to re-build the state and rehabilitate large number of affected, besides carrying forward development process with determination', he added.

Mr Azad said the Third Roundtable Conference will discuss the recommendations of four working groups on confidence building measures across all the segments of society in the state, strengthening relations across the Line of Control, economic development in the state and good governance.

Matters pertaining to the fifth group on strengthening of centre- state relations could also be discussed in the roundtable conference.

''Abjure violence and shun the gun, we are ready to talk to you'', Mr Azad sought to convey to the Militant groups.

In reply to a question to this regard he said government is ready to talk to UJC chief Syed Sallahuddin or any other person but abjuring violence was must before any such interaction takes place.

UNI