Hurriyat Conference must be part of Kashmir peace talks: Sharad Yadav

Peace in the Valley has been disturbed, with at least 71 people killed, since the July 8 killing of Burhan Wani

Former Janata Dal-United Chief Sharad Yadav on Saturday said the Hurriyat Conference must be included in any proposed peace talks on Kashmir.

"The Centre and the state governments must find a way forward for peace in Kashmir. Any peace talks should also have Hurriyat Conference as a party," he told IANS.

He also said that the BJP and PDP combine must focus on their governance agenda first, and do away with the use of pellet guns, which are being used to disperse protesters.

"BJP has mentioned this in their agenda that they will have talks with everyone. If they want peace then they should talk with all kinds of peoples," Yadav added.

Peace in the Valley has been disturbed, with at least 71 people killed, since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

Over 11,000 persons, including 7,000 civilians and 4,000 security personnel have also been injured in the deadliest unrest in the Kashmir Valley.