Cong forms panel to assess situation in Kashmir

Concerned over the "disturbed" situation in the Valley, the Congress today formulated a policy-planning group for Jammu and Kashmir to take forward the peace initiative in the state.
The Congress has been critical of the Centre as well as the PDP-BJP coalition government over the handling of the situation in J-K since July last year.
The policy-planning group is chaired by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and includes former Home Minister P Chidambaram and CWC members Karan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad, besides the J-K Congress in charge Ambika Soni.
"Congress president Sonia Gandhi has constituted a policy-planning group for Jammu and Kashmir under the chairmanship of Dr Manmohan Singh," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement.

Other leaders who are part of the group include J-K Congress president Ghulam Ahmed Mir, CLP leader in state Rigzin Zora, former MP Tariq Hameed Karra and party vice president Shyam Lal Sharma.
Sources said the group will study and assess the ground situation and make initiatives for restoring normalcy to the state, which is facing unrest for quite some time now.

Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today met a delegation of Congress and National Conference leaders. They later met President Pranab Mukherjee and apprised him of the current situation prevailing in the state.
"Met a delegation of Congress and NC leaders,who will call on the President later today to express our concern over the situation in Kashmir," Gandhi tweeted.

The Congress has been critical of both the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the PDP-BJP coalition government in the stae over the handling of the situation in the state which has been deteriorating in the wake of public outrage ever since the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces.