Most mainstream political parties, except the Congress, decided to meet Mr. Singh on Sunday. Members of civil society groups boycott talks with the MinisterProminent civil society groups and traders’ organisations boycotted Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the Kashmir Valley on Saturday. In the first move by the Centre to reach out directly to the people of the State, Mr. Singh, who arrived in Srinagar before noon, stationed himself at the Nehru Guest House near the Dal Lake. They are accepting Jammu & Kashmir as a disputed region, demilitarisation, revocation of laws such as the AFSPA, release of political prisoners, allowing the UN Special Rapporteur to J&K to visit the region, and providing free political space to all political parties. The Minister, on a two-day visit to the State, will assess the situation on the ground in the wake of the 15-day curfew and shutdown of communication infrastructure in the Valley.

Source: The Hindu July 23, 2016 18:36 UTC