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Farooq holds parleys with Mulayam, Pawar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday intensified efforts to seek the support of a broad spectrum of political parties on the autonomy issue and held wide-ranging discussions with Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in this regard.

Dr Abdullah apprised the two leaders of his party's stand on the issue and made an attempt to enlist their support. He had also called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday to discuss the autonomy issue. The Congress has also constituted a committee of senior leaders to examine the issue in totality and formulate the party's stand.

Sources close to the chief minister described the talks with Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Pawar as very fruitful. Yadav had earlier taken a tough stand on the resolution describing it as detrimental to the country's unity and integrity. However, after Wednesday's meeting, it appeared that he had agreed on the need to have a full-fledged debate on the issue.

Similarly, the meeting with Pawar was also productive.

Dr Abdullah had extended his stay in New Delhi to continue the confabulations. He has already set up a committee of ministers to interact with central leaders on the autonomy proposals made by the National Conference government.

The chief minister, who arrived in New Delhi on July 17 along with five of his senior cabinet and party colleagues, has already met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee twice. He also met Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes on Tuesday.

UNI

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