The National Conference on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate a direct dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the restoration of political and democratic process in the Union Territory.
It also condemned the extension of party president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah's detention by three months and said, "detaining a towering leader like him is akin to putting curbs on mainstream political ideology".
"We appeal to the prime minister to open a direct dialogue with the people of different regions, who have varied aspirations, to ensure that the political and democratic process gets restored in Jammu and Kashmir," NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana told reporters at the party headquarters here.
Rana, who was flanked by nearly a dozen party colleagues, including former ministers, said a process of dialogue should be set into motion for better development and strengthening of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Seeking immediate release of all detained leaders, he said, "We believe that mainstream political leaders who are under detention in Kashmir have created a political vacuum which is neither in the interest of India nor the people of Jammu and Kashmir."