Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Expressing hope that the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will apply a healing touch to Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Saifuddin Soz said he had sought the services of economist C. Rangarajan to prepare an employment plan for the state.
“Unemployment is a serious issue triggering unrest among the youth in the Valley. I had written to the PM a few weeks ago to spare the services of C. Rangarajan, chairman, PM’s Economic Advisory Council, for preparing a new plan for employment and recruitment in the state. I am hopeful that PM will concede our plea” Soz told IANS.

Soz said planners and economists should take note that there are very few avenues other than government sector for employment in Kashmir. The state government recruitment procedure was “far from satisfactory and was not helping the educated unemployed”, he added.

Leaders of various political parties of Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to meet the prime minister at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Soz will be among the Congress leaders in the delegation.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will lead the delegation, which will include his father and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader Tara Chand, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature party leader Ashok Khajuria, Jammu and Kashmir National Panther’s Party chief Bhim Singh and Communist Party of India (CPI-M) legislator Muhammed Yusuf Tarigami.

The prime minister is scheduled to make a televised address to the people of Kashmir, sources said. He would outline the government’s readiness for talks and development after normalcy is restored, it is learnt. The speech comes just before Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, beginning later this week.

Kashmir has been rocked by a cycle of violence triggered by stone-pelting street protests and retaliatory firing by security forces causing the death of 50 people, mostly civilian youth, since June 11.