Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Sunday urged India and Pakistan not to take steps that will "bring tensions in Kashmir".
Addressing the meeting after holding an all-party meet at his residence here, Abdullah requested people to maintain peace and said that leaders of all the political parties in the state were united in their "struggle to safeguard the special status of Kashmir".
"Representatives of various parties met at my residence and had discussion on prevailing political condition and deployment of security forces. It has never happened in the past that the Amarnath yatra was stopped. We have decided to inform Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind of the consequences bound to follow if this continues," he said.
The all-party meeting on the prevailing situation in the Valley were earlier scheduled at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's residence. However, it was changed at the last moment and shifted to Abdullah's house as he was stated to be unwell.
Abdullah, reading out a resolution adopted at the meeting, said the parties have decided to send delegations to meet Kovind, Modi and leaders of political parties to apprise them of the consequences of any attempt to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, or carry out delimitation of constituencies or trifurcating the state.
The meeting was also attended Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Taj Mohiuddin (Congress), Muzaffar Beig (PDP), Sajad Lone and Imran Ansari (Peoples Conference), Shah Faesal (J&K Peoples Movement) and MY Tarigami (CPI-M).
Kashmir remained on edge on Sunday as the authorities stepped up security deployment at vital installations and sensitive areas amid heightened terror threat and flare up of hostilities with Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC).
After the Jammu and Kashmir administration curtailed the Amarnath Yatra and asked pilgrims and tourists to leave the valley at the earliest on Friday, anxious residents continue to throng markets to stock on essentials and serpentine queues have been visible outside shops and fuel stations.
Mehbooba said the leaders of various political parties had decided to meet at a hotel here, but the police asked it not to allow any political meeting in its premises
"The political parties here had decided to hold a meeting at a hotel today. But, police has issued an advisory to all hotels not to let political parties hold any meeting in their premises.
Now we are holding the meeting at my residence at 6 pm today," she told reporters earlier on Sunday.
Mehbooba said she talked to Nation Conference president Farooq Abdullah about the meeting and he committed that party's vice-president Omar Abdullah would attend it.
"I talked to Farooq Sahab, he is unwell. But he made the commitment that Omar sahib will attend the meeting. I have talked to other leaders. It is very important for J&K that mainstream parties, civil society, trade unions, religious organisations and even separatists come together to fight this scourge," The PDP president said.
She said the Centre was not bothered to speak on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. "We had made an effort to tell the people of this country and the government about the consequences if they toy with Articles 35A and 370 (of the Constitution). We made an appeal too, but no assurance has been given yet from the Centre. They are not bothered to say anything, to say that everything will be alright," Mehbooba said.
Asked about the situation on the LoC, the PDP president said. "We have heard about the situation on the border. The civilian casualties are condemnable, we are hearing that cluster bombs are being used. This is very wrong. This is done by Israel. Our country is Gandhi's country and if this is happening, then it is very wrong."
The former chief minister accused the Centre of using corruption as a tool against the leaders of the mainstream political parties in the valley.
"They (Centre) did whatever they had to with separatists. Now, they are using many tactics against mainstream political parties. When they got a hint of an all-party meet, Farooq (Abdullah) was taken to Chandigarh (for questioning by the ED in cricket association scam).
"They are using corruption as a tool against political parties, crackdowns are being done, workers are being harassed, detained in police stations and their security withdrawn," she alleged.
"They (Centre) are making them (mainstream political leaders) vulnerable so that if anything happens tomorrow and people get angry, they (people) direct it at the mainstream parties rather than the Centre, and, god forbid, they are creating a civil war-like situation. It is a very sinister design that is going on," Mehbooba added.
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