Awaz Apni Breaking News New Delhi: Top leaders of all major political parties are now at the Prime Minister's residence for a meeting on the Kashmir crisis. The Congress' stand will reflect this line: "The UPA government is making an all-out transparent effort on Kashmir."
The agenda of the meeting is a search for consensus on how to check the relentless cycle of violence that has left more than 70 civilians dead in the last three months.
Much of the discussion will focus on the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Opinion on the Act is divided not just between parties, but within the government as well.
The Act is criticized for giving the Army sweeping powers - it can conduct searches and arrests without warrants, for example.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Omar Abdullah wants the Act to be lifted in areas where militancy has been declining. Home Minister P Chidambaram wants to amend the Act to make it more "humane." His blueprint for the revised Act was discussed earlier this week at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The BJP, however, has expressed its staunch opposition to any changes to AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir. Defence Minister AK Antony has also been presenting the Armed Forces' point-of-view - that the Act gives its men critical legal immunity in a state where it is fighting a "proxy war."
The National Conference delegation to the meeting was led by Omar's father, National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah. Sources close to Omar say he will decide his next move after today's meeting ends. The Chief Minister is smarting from a pointed snub by the union government earlier this week -it referred, in an official statement, to the "governance-deficit" in J&K.
Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj are at the meeting. In a speech on Tuesday, Advani said the UPA government is "clueless and spineless" about the Kashmir crisis.
The main opposition party in J&K, the People's Democratic Party is being represented by Mehbooba Mufti.
The agenda of the meeting is a search for consensus on how to check the relentless cycle of violence that has left more than 70 civilians dead in the last three months.
Much of the discussion will focus on the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Opinion on the Act is divided not just between parties, but within the government as well.
The Act is criticized for giving the Army sweeping powers - it can conduct searches and arrests without warrants, for example.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Omar Abdullah wants the Act to be lifted in areas where militancy has been declining. Home Minister P Chidambaram wants to amend the Act to make it more "humane." His blueprint for the revised Act was discussed earlier this week at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The BJP, however, has expressed its staunch opposition to any changes to AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir. Defence Minister AK Antony has also been presenting the Armed Forces' point-of-view - that the Act gives its men critical legal immunity in a state where it is fighting a "proxy war."
The National Conference delegation to the meeting was led by Omar's father, National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah. Sources close to Omar say he will decide his next move after today's meeting ends. The Chief Minister is smarting from a pointed snub by the union government earlier this week -it referred, in an official statement, to the "governance-deficit" in J&K.
Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj are at the meeting. In a speech on Tuesday, Advani said the UPA government is "clueless and spineless" about the Kashmir crisis.
The main opposition party in J&K, the People's Democratic Party is being represented by Mehbooba Mufti.
