Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 12

Chairing a high-level meeting on the situation in Kashmir within hours of his return from the four-nation Africa tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed for “calm and peace.” He is believed to have expressed “unhappiness” over the media coverage of the violent protests following the killing of Hizbul millitant Burhan Wani and the latter’s portrayal as a “hero”. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, among others. The PM was briefed on the Wani encounter, the subsequent violence and Pakistan’s response to the terrorist’s death. The issue of a Rs 80,000-crore package recently announced for Jammu and Kashmir was also taken up.Sources said Home Ministry officials expressed concern over the situation in the Valley in the next two days. Separatists intend to observe July 13 (tomorrow) as “Martyrs’ Day” and there is every possibility of emotions running high after the Friday prayers the following day.Rajnath is expected to make a statement on the violence on the first day of the Parliament session (July 18). He was to visit the US for the ‘Homeland Security Dialogue’ scheduled for next week. Sources said it would not be “possible for him to embark upon the US visit” in view of his “busy schedule in Parliament” and that the new dates had yet to be worked out. He was also to travel to Pakistan for the SAARC Home Ministers’ conference in August, but the visit is “highly unlikely” now.