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J&K ceasefire to be extended: UNI

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will announce his government's decision on the extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament on Thursday.

Though sources in the prime minister's office said the ceasefire was likely to be extended for the third time, there is no official word on it.

A UNI report, however, said the ceasefire has been extended beyond its February 26 deadline and the PM would be only divulging its duration and other such details in Parliament.

A BBC report too, quoting government sources, said Delhi has decided to extend the ceasefire backed by an all-party mandate to pursue its peace initiative in the Valley.

Speaking to newspersons in New Delhi after the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security meeting on Wednesday, Home Minister L K Advani, however, the said the decision would be "announced in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday."

The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Vajpayee and lasted over an hour and forty minutes. It was attended by Home Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister presided over an all-party meeting to discuss Jammu and Kashmir and secured a mandate to extend the ceasefire.

UNI adds: Unlike the last stormy session of the CCS, when the issue of extension of ceasefire came up in January, Wednesday's meeting was a smooth affair.

A presentation on the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir was made by intelligence agencies, followed by a briefing by the army chief and security heads on the situation on the Line of Control.

The activities of Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed came up for discussion and certain suggestions were made on how to curb their activities.

The Kashmir ceasefire: The complete coverage

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