‘Give Me One Chance’ Mehbooba appeals to protesters in Kashmir; Centre forming Track 2 team for dialogue

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today and discussed the situation in the Valley, which has been under curfew for last 49 days following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
“I appeal to all those protesting in the streets. You may be angry with me, I may be angry with you, But please give me one chance,” she said, blaming Pakistan for fuelling the unrest in Kashmir.
Ms Mufti said agenda of alliance between her party PDP and the BJP has not been followed but she now has PM Modi’s assurance that will be pushed.
“PM Modi is concerned about the situation in Kashmir,” she said. The Chief Minister’s meeting with the Prime Minister after the Home Minister’s visit to Srinagar is being seen as the centre’s outreach to the state and an attempt to de-escalate the tension which has claimed 70 lives so far and left over 11,000 injured.
This is the first meeting between the Prime Minister and Ms Mufti after the unrest broke in the Valley on July 8.
Earlier this week, PM Modi had a meeting with a delegation of opposition parties from the state led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
After that meeting, PM Modi made an appeal for restoration of peace in the Valley and emphasised that there has to be a dialogue. He expressed his “deep concern and pain” over the situation in the Valley and asked all political parties to work together to find a “permanent and lasting” solution to problems in the state.
In his statement, the Prime Minister had appreciated the “constructive suggestions” made by the opposition delegation during the talks and reiterated his government’s commitment to the welfare of people. Ms Mufti had strongly defended security forces action on Thursday during a press conference and claimed that 95 per cent of people want to resolve the Kashmir issue through political means and dialogue but five per cent people were resorting to agitation.

Meanwhile, centre is forming a new team to start a dialogue in Kashmir through informal channels and help resolve the crisis, quoting sources NDTV reported on Saturday.
The central government has started reaching out to eminent citizens to be part of the Track 2 team which could be given mandate to talk to all stakeholders including separatists in the state, sources said.
The new team may be announced when an all-party team visits the valley next weekend.
The move comes as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day and referred to an institution to start a dialogue in the state.