National

NC hopes for "liberal" political package

Shuja'at Bukhari

"Round-table provides setting for innovative step forward"

SRINAGAR: A day before the second Kashmir round-table conference, the Opposition Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Tuesday expressed the hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would "announce an all-inclusive political package which would throw open myriad doors of solution that has been eluding Kashmiris for a long time."

In its extraordinary working committee meeting chaired by president Omar Abdullah, the National Conference adopted economic and political resolutions in which it hoped that the packages to be announced by Dr. Singh would be "liberal."

On resolution of the Kashmir issue, the NC's political resolution said, "We hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's stature will go an extra yard beyond the flexible initiatives of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf."

The resolution further said: "The second round-table conference provides the most appropriate setting for a historic and innovative step forward." It said that the NC was proud that it had been proposing a clear, unambiguous, and pragmatic roadmap to solve this problem. Referring to the autonomy report passed by the Assembly in 2000, the NC said that it enjoyed people's sanction.

"It does not suffer from the confusion and haziness of new groups of opportunists who tried to emulate the slogan of self-governance, but when confronted with the question of elucidation declared in their nervousness that they have later put it on the back-burner," said the resolution said, with obvious reference to the People's Democratic Party, its arch rival.

The party also hailed the confidence-building measures being undertaken by both India and Pakistan. It also passed a resolution endorsing Mr. Abdullah's visit to Pakistan recently. In its economic resolution, the National Conference expressed its dissatisfaction over the overall economic scenario of the State. "The State Government should take urgent measures to improve poor economic conditions," which have left the people gasping for succour and relief," the resolution said.

Ladakh Front rejects invite

In yet another setback, the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) president Thupstan Chhewang has rejected the invitation extended to him to attend the round-table conference.

Mr. Chhewang, who is also a Member of Parliament from Ladakh, received a formal invitation at his New Delhi residence on Monday. "This is a deliberate attempt on the part of the Government to invite us in this manner. Is this the way to invite the president of an organisation which represents the Ladakh region," he asked. He told The Hindu that it was after the Hurriyat Conference refused to attend the conference "we were invited."

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