Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti called on the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi here this afternoon to discuss the overall situation in Jammu and Kashmir.In the meeting which lasted for nearly an hour, the Chief Minister discussed with the Prime Minister the law and order situation and the situation along the borders in view of the escalation of tensions in the region.Ms Mehbooba urged the Prime Minister to reach out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir with tangible confidence building measures to address their political, economic and developmental concerns.“The people in Kashmir have gone through enormous agony and pain and the time has come to reach out to them and apply a balm to their wounds through ample initiatives at political, economic and developmental levels,” the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister.
Ms Mehbooba said, she urged the Prime Minister to view the current situation in the state as an opportunity and start a dialogue process with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “I hope that the Prime Minister, who has received such a big mandate, takes this situation as an opportunity and reaches out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by starting a productive dialogue process to end the miseries of the people in the State,” she said.While expressing grave concern over the prevailing situation along the borders, Ms Mehbooba called for de-escalation of the tension as, according to her, people in Jammu and Kashmir have been the worst sufferers of the hostility and confrontation in the region. “Today also hundreds of families have to migrate from the border areas of the State and they suffer immense hardships because of the prevailing tense situation in the region,” she said and stressed the need for reviving the peace and reconciliation process in the region.The Chief Minister also discussed the overall developmental scenario in the State and the measures being taken to expedite the implementation of projects under the RS 80,000 crore Prime Minister’s Developmental Programme.