Situation in Kashmir is worrying: Cong

As alliance partner Omar Abdullah battles unrest in Kashmir, the Congress Working Committee on Monday discussed the "worrisome" situation in the Valley.

With Home Minister P Chidambaram briefing it on the situation, the CWC called for a "balanced" approach of dialogue and action and expressed concern over the recent spate of violence in the Kashmir Valley.

The concern of the Congress leadership over the situation could be gauged from the fact that Chidambaram was specially called to the meeting despite not being a CWC member.

Chidambaram is understood to have told the meeting that the situation in the Valley is "worrisome".

Party President Sonia Gandhi presided over the meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by her side. Party general secretaries Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh could not attend the meeting as they were out of station.

The CWC felt the government should do all it can to bring

normalcy in the valley and the political steps, which are required, should be taken. The party said that the process should be taken forward with all seriousness.

The CWC expressed concern over infiltration and ongoing terrorist activities in the state and noted that the youths of the valley are being misguided, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

The Home Minister is learnt to have briefed the party about how the situation has unfolded in the recent months and also noted that such incidents were not to be seen in the initial months after the alliance government took over the state administration.

The party also expressed grief over deaths due to cloudburst in Leh and recent railway accidents. The meeting was called to finalise dates for the Congress President's election.

To a question on whether the matter of corruption in Commonwealth Games was discussed, Dwivedi said that no other issue came up in the meeting.