All the opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and has requested to ban the use pallet guns in the valley by the security forces. They have also demanded that the center should start a dialogue with all the stakeholders across the valley to control the violent situation in the Kashmir valley, where 67 people have been died till now.

An eight-member delegation led by former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah arrived in the capital on Saturday to discuss the situation in violence-torn Kashmir for more than 40 days now, with PM Narendra Modi.

A memorandum submitted by the delegation said, “We are of the firm opinion that the central government should waste no further time in initiating a credible and meaningful political dialogue with all stakeholders to address the unrest in the state.”

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Parties added that using administrative approach to deal with a political situation had worsened the situation and created and unprecedented sense of dissatisfaction and disenchantment especially among the youth.

By Demanding a ban on the use of pallet guns the parties said, “An immediate ban on pallet guns that have caused grievous injuries in the current unrest and maimed and blinded many young boys and girls.”

Pallet guns have been used as a beat mean for crowd control across the world and the security forces in India have considered it a safe option while facing serious stone-pelting mobs. Although the guns are effective on the short ranges, they can be lethal from a very close range.

Kashmir has been under the violence since the last 40 or more days and on Sunday a teenager Irfan Ahmad was also killed in Srinagar when a tear-gas shell hit him in a chest. The protest have been erupted since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani’s killing by the security forces.

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By Prajakt K.