J&K oppn delegation urges Left to continue giving support

A joint delegation of opposition parties led by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and urged him to continue giving support for finding a solution to the Kashmir issue through political means.
The seven-member delegation, which also included CPM MLA from the state M Y Tarigami, had a thorough discussion with Yechury, who was flanked by Politburo members Prakash Karat and M A Baby.
The delegation urged the Left parties to play their role in finding a "lasting" solution to the woes of people of Jammu and Kashmir, which is in the grip of unrest for more than a month now.

After the hour-long meeting, Omar told reporters that he had come to thank Yechury for the stand the left parties had taken on the unrest during the recently concluded Parliament session and asked him to ensure that the issue remains "alive" till the "final" solution was worked out.
"We came here to thank him. Generally, it has been the experience in Jammu and Kashmir that the regime there is remembered only when such a situation (unrest) crops up...Then there is a talk about dialogue, political issues and solutions to it.
"But when the situation turns normal, all these things are forgotten. So, we urged Yechury and his colleagues that the process should not be discontinued when the situation improves," Omar said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Kashmir, Omar said he was grateful for such a statement and expressed hope that all the measures would be implemented on the ground in the Valley which is reeling under curfew for the last 45 days.
He, however, parried a query on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's remark that the stone pelters in the Valley were "aggressors".
"For me, only the statement of the Prime Minister matters. The statement released by the Prime Minister has spoken of lasting solution, which we want. Several political opposition parties from Jammu and Kashmir came here with only this purpose. Hence, we welcome his statement," he said.