All J&K Patwar Association calls off strike

SRINAGAR — The All Jammu and Kashmir Patwar Association called off its strike after 11 days on Saturday. The announcement was made by the Association President after holding virtual meetings with the Divisional Commissioner and other regional offices of both Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a presser, the All Jammu and Kashmir Patwar Association President Abdul Majeed, as per the news agency GNS said that a meeting was held between the Patwar Association and several government offices in an attempt to resolve the issue.

“The meetings were held in several phases and the first phase particularly was contentious,” he said, adding the government offices tried to dissuade the Association, but members of the Association stood firm with their demands.

“After the first phase, two more meetings were held. One of these meetings was conducted via video conference and was attended by the Commissioner Secretary of Revenue and other officials from Jammu,” he said. “The meeting was supervised by the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir amid the presence of the members of the Association.”

During these meetings, Majeed said, “The government requested a time period of three months to resolve the issue. However, the members of the Patwar Association resented the proposal as they believe that the issues have already been lingering for too long. As a result, they proposed an alternative time period of one month, which after a consensus the government agreed to.”

“The Association as such decided to defer its strike for a period of one month”, Majeed said, adding that if the government fails to take concrete steps towards resolving the issue within the given time period, they will resume their strike.

“The members of the Association are hopeful that the government will take their demands seriously and work towards a mutually beneficial solution,” he further opined.