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Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah has welcomed the move by sacked Hizbul Mujahideen commanders Abdul Majid Dar, Zafar Abdul Fateh and Asad Yazdani to float a new political outfit in Jammu and Kashmir.
The minister criticised those who were sitting across the border and trying to engineer violence in the state in the name of jihad.
Abdullah told rediff.com on Tuesday that he hoped that the former commanders would participate in the forthcoming elections to the state assembly.
"What has happened was a foregone conclusion," he said.
He described the move by the former commanders to launch a new outfit as 'significant'.
"This is a significant move in the sense that they are the ones who are aware of the ground realities and know that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are fed up of violence. Those like [Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed] Salahuddin, who are sitting in safety and security across the border, are not aware of these ground realities and hence are bent upon carrying on violence in the state in the name of jihad," he said.
"Those who are willing to give up arms should join the political mainstream and test their political credibility and acceptability," he said.
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