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Cong, SP, CPI-M back ceasefire extension

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Communist Party of India-Marxists leader Somnath Chatterjee expressed support to an extension of the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir beyond February 26.

At an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the three also asked the government to remain vigilant.

Janata Dal-United leader Ramkrishna Hegde, who came out of the all-party meeting briefly, said that they said that though the "gesture of goodwill should continue, the government must remain vigilant".

Agencies add: Nationalist Congress Party leader P A Sangma said most political parties wanted an extension of the ceasefire but they felt that it was up to the government to take a decision.

His party was "quite satisfied" with the government's presentation on the issue, the former Lok Sabha Speaker said, adding that there seemed to be a communication gap between the government and the people.

Stating that the results of the ceasefire had been "positive", Sangma said it appeared that the impact of the ceasefire was not made known to the people.

On whether the government gave any indication about extending the ceasefire beyond February 26, he said that this had been left to the government to decide.

The Kashmir ceasefire: The complete coverage

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