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Vajpayee calls all-party
meet on J&K on Wed

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has convened an all-party meet to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday afternoon, hours before a crucial Cabinet Committee on Security meeting where a decision on the extension of ceasefire in the troubled state is likely to be taken.

The Congress, the Samajwadi Party, Left parties and all National Democratic Alliance partners, including the Telugu Desam Party, have been invited to the meeting.

The Opposition has been critical of the government's handling of the Kashmir ceasefire alleging that it had gone ahead with the initiative without adequate groundwork leading to stepped up violence in the Valley.

The Congress has termed the ceasefire as a military and not a political move to tackle the Kashmir problem.

The CCS meeting, to be chaired by the prime minister, is expected to be attended by Home Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, External Afffairs Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra. It will decide whether or not to extend the ceasefire for a third time beyond the February 26 deadline.

The government had on Sunday night put off a decision on the extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir with the last-minute cancellation of a CCS meeting.

The ceasefire was extended for a month beyond the Republic Day on January 23.

PTI

The Kashmir ceasefire: The complete coverage

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