M A I N   N E W S

All-party delegation to reach J&K on Monday
After Rahul backing, Farooq says Omar won’t quit
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

The delegation will spend two days in the state, staying in the troubled valley for just a little more than one day. The trip will coincide with September 21, the day Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has given the protest call to people to march to security force encampments.

In Srinagar, air tickets to be curfew passes Srinagar: With operations of civil flights to and from Srinagar International Airport set to resume tomorrow, authorities today said the tickets of passengers will be treated as their curfew passes. — PTI

On the political front, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah today ended speculation of his son and state chief minister Omar Abdullah’s resignation, saying Omar had no intentions of stepping down nor was there any such move.

“There is no disappointment on the lack of consensus on Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Omar is going to stay,” he said after a meeting with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, whose details he refused to divulge, saying the meeting was “private”.

That the Centre would prefer status quo for the while in Kashmir was evident after AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi today threw his weight behind Omar, saying the Kashmir job was tough and Omar needed time and support and was doing a good job.

Rahul even said that the Kashmir situation “was not critical”. With his all-out support to Omar, he poured cold waters over the speculated teaming up of Congress and PDP, whose leaders Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti have been camping in New Delhi for the past two days. Both stayed indoors today claiming illness amid reports that Mufti met Sonia and Prime Miniser day before yesterday and was given some hope. Top Congress sources and the Muftis, however, denied any such meeting.

For the all-party delegation, the Congress is yet to finalise its nominees as the party core group met tonight to discuss the modalities. The final schedule of the visit was, however, put out this evening by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal who has asked party leaders to nominate one delegate each by tomorrow evening. Bansal is likely to be part of the delegation. The BJP will send Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, JDU chief Sharad Yadav is likely to go, the CPI has finalised Gurudas Dasgupta’s name and BJD has zeroed in on Prasanna Patsani. The CPM is yet to nominate a delegate.