All party delegation to Kashmir likely in first week of September

An all party Parliamentary delegation is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of September and meet a cross section of people, amidst the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley.

Government will consult all political parties before finalising an itinerary for the tour aimed at restoring peace in the Kashmir Valley, which is witnessing violent protests even since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The move comes after Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Srinagar yesterday that he had asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to make preparation for the visit.Sources said the visit of the all party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be discussed when Mehbooba will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.

The



facilitation of the all party delegation to the troubled state is considered to be an attempt by the government to bring the political parties on board of the process initiated to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

There has been feeling in the government that unrest continues for too long -- 48 days -- and normalcy needs to be restored as early as possible. The cycle of violence has claimed so far 69 lives.

The Home Minister's two-day visit on August 24-25 to the restive Kashmir for the second time in a month was part of Centre's outreach.

Singh had said that the central government was willing to talk to anyone on the problems faced in Jammu and Kashmir within the ambit of 'Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat' (Kashmir's pluralist ethos, humanity and democracy).