J&K oppn delegation urges Left to continue giving support

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) A joint delegation of oppositionparties led by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister OmarAbdullah today met CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury andurged him to continue giving support for finding a solution tothe Kashmir issue through political means. The seven-member delegation, which also included CPM MLAfrom the state M Y Tarigami, had a thorough discussion withYechury, who was flanked by Politburo members Prakash Karatand M A Baby. The delegation urged the Left parties to play their rolein finding a "lasting" solution to the woes of people of Jammuand Kashmir, which is in the grip of unrest for more than amonth now. After the hour-long meeting, Omar told reporters that hehad come to thank Yechury for the stand the left parties hadtaken on the unrest during the recently concluded Parliamentsession and asked him to ensure that the issue remains "alive"till the "final" solution was worked out. "We came here to thank him. Generally, it has been theexperience in Jammu and Kashmir that the regime there isremembered only when such a situation (unrest) crops up…Thenthere is a talk about dialogue, political issues and solutionsto it. "But when the situation turns normal, all these things areforgotten. So, we urged Yechury and his colleagues that theprocess should not be discontinued when the situationimproves," Omar said. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement onKashmir, Omar said he was grateful for such a statement andexpressed hope that all the measures would be implemented onthe ground in the Valley which is reeling under curfew for thelast 45 days. He, however, parried a query on Union Finance MinisterArun Jaitley’s remark that the stone pelters in the Valleywere "aggressors". "For me, only the statement of the Prime Minister matters.The statement released by the Prime Minister has spoken oflasting solution, which we want. Several political oppositionparties from Jammu and Kashmir came here with only thispurpose. Hence, we welcome his statement," he said. PTI ENMSKL GVS SKGVS