Jammu, May 11: Day after union minister for renewable energy and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah said that a solution to Kashmir issue was on cards, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday termed such reports as “highly premature”.
“A report on solution to Kashmir issue being tabled is highly premature. The solution would come from discussion between New Delhi and Islamabad, that has just started”, Omar told reporters here today. A woman journalist quoting media reports asked him that a report is being tabled on Kashmir solution soon which will take care of all the stake-holders in Jammu and Kashmir.
 He further said that Foreign Minister has just talked on phone with his Pakistani counterpart to resume dialogue and the report on solution is highly premature.
 The requirement is to build confidence in the system, held dialogue between Indian and Pakistan and State and Centre, he said.
 Dr Farooq Abdullah had at a function in Jammu Monday said that a solution to Kashmir was round the corner and it will be acceptable to people of Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan. “I think something is round the corner on Kashmir. The solution will be such that is acceptable to the people of J&K, India and Pakistan’’, Dr Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of Ashok Sodhi memorial cricket tournament final at Parade Ground Jammu Monday.

OPPOSES OUT OF TURN HANGING OF GURU
 Chief Minister said the law should “take its own course” in the hanging of Afzal Guru, the alleged mastermind of the 2001 attack on the Parliament.
 “Let the law take its own course. He has gone in for an appeal and his name figures at number 30, let’s first talk about 29 who are in line before him,” Omar said.
 “Why bring his name all the time and give a hype to it simply because his name is too glamorous?” he asked the reporter who had posed a question.
 Afzal Guru, a resident of Sopore in the Kashmir Valley, was found guilty of plotting the attack on the Indian parliament on Dec 13, 2001. The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in October 2006.
 Afzal Guru, whose mercy petition is pending before president Pratibha Patil, was again in the spotlight after a Mumbai court last week sentenced Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab to death for his role in the November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai.
 Pertinently, Dr Farooq had Monday strongly favoured hanging of Ajmal Kasab.

STONE-PELTING NOT NEW TO KASHMIR
 Chief Minister said the stone-pelting phenomenon was not new to the political landscape of Kashmir and government was taking every effort to channelise the energies of the youth, resorting to such means, in right direction.
 Omar rejected the viewpoint that stone pelting is being used as an alternative to bullet. “Such scenes of stone pelting was not new to the political landscape of Kashmir as supporters of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and even Moulvi Umar Farooq were restoring to such means in the past”, he said.
 “These are the youth who have certain grievances and Government was making every effort to bring them in mainstream and channelise their energies in right direction”, he added.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 11 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 11 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 IST