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'Govt should give precedence to the ground realities in J&K'

July 08, 2009 22:45 IST

The Union home ministry on direction of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is preparing a road map for relocation of the security forces in the Kashmir Valley -- the major demand of agitators across the state. Unified command of the security forces in the Valley is also involved in this process.

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah met Dr Singh to raise the issue two days back, and before flying back to his state he also met Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told rediff.com that while taking a decision on such a delicate matter, the government should give precedence to the ground realities rather getting involved in petty politics.

Throughout Wednesday, the demonstrators fought a pitched battle in Srinagar with the Jammu and Kashmir police. They were protesting against the killing of a 2nd year student of Islamia College, Asrar, whose body was found in one of the post localities. He had been missing for the last six days.

Former chairman of Hurriyat Conference, Abdul Gani Bhat said that sooner the key issue was addressed the better, thereby hinting towards the tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.

In Delhi, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Farooq Abdullah said on Wednesday that whatever is happening in the state, it's being masterminded by people carrying vested interests, who want to simply keep Kashmir boiling.

Senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz said that he was rushing to the Valley to find out what really happened, so that the guilty are brought to the book at the earliest.

The J&K police claimed that it was a case of kidnapping and murder by someone, but the agitators blamed the police for the death of Asrar.

Onkar Singh in New Delhi