Mehbooba, Kavinder, Ram, Omar hail move

SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today welcomed the Centre's decision to not launch any security operations in state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.

"The decision would go a long way in healing the wounds of people of the state who have been suffering the pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades or so.

“What best a time to go for this decision than the onset of holy month of Ramadhan which promotes values of patience, self-restraint and tolerance," Mehbooba said in a statement.

She said the ceasefire would also provide the necessary breather to the people who have been craving for it so long. She thanked the Centre particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the "historic decision".

"This marks the beginning of listening of the story of pain of the state's people by the country's leadership," she said.

The chief minister appealed to all stakeholders to reciprocate positively to the gesture aimed at giving relief to the people of the state who have seen enough "torment and tragedy". Mehbooba also thanked political parties who backed her idea of 'cessation of hostilities' during a meeting convened by her recently.

Earlier the chief minister thanked the Centre in a post on Twitter.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement (sic)," Mehbooba tweeted.

She said Ramzan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue.

Mehbooba’s deputy Kavinder Gupta has also welcomed the decision of the Centre for maintaining truce during the holy month of Ramadan.

Describing the initiative as a significant gesture, the Deputy Chief Minister has said that the decision will go a long way in restoring peace in the State.

He has also hoped that all peace loving forces will take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Centre and help in maintaining lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir, which is must for the overall development and prosperity of the State, said Gupta.

The BJP’s central leadership, meanwhile, expressed hope that the Centre's decision to stop operations of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan will be reciprocated by all in the valley.

"We welcome the prudent decision taken by Hon'ble PM and HM with a profound hope that this gesture will be reciprocated by one and all in the valley (and it) will witness peace during the holy month of Ramazan (sic)," BJP's General Secretary Ram Madhav tweeted.

Madhav is the BJP's pointsman for Jammu and Kashmir, where his party is a junior partner to the PDP in the government.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said if the militants did not respond in kind to the Centre's unilateral halt on operations during the month of Ramzan, they will be exposed as enemies of the people.

"On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he said in a tweet.