All of us agree there should be a ceasefire, Ms Mufti had said after Wednesday's all-party meeting
Less than 24 hours after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti appealed to the centre to consider a ceasefire with terrorists during Ramzan, saying it was the view shared by all political parties in the state, her alliance partner BJP has refused to back the proposal.
"A ceasefire is not going to do any good. We should not do anything to demoralise the security forces," said BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi.
After an
all-party meeting on Wednesday, Ms Mufti had said "all of us agree that we all have to appeal to the government of India to consider a ceasefire".
"The way Vajpayee ji announced unilateral ceasefire in 2000, the government of India should think on those lines," she had said.
But the BJP that shares power with Ms Mufti's party PDP made its disagreement public
on a day the army chief told the Indian Express newspaper that "we will always fight those who seek azaadi, those who want to secede".
Home ministry sources have told NDTV that Ms Mufti's remarks about the ceasefire announced by the earlier Vajpayee government is misleading.
"No unilateral ceasefire was announced by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000. Only the Non Initiation of Combat Operation (NICO) by the army and security forces was enforced," the sources said.
The opposition National Conference is now attacking Ms Mufti, questioning the purpose of calling an all-party meeting when "her ally doesn't agree with her".
The PDP insists there was consensus in the meeting that ceasefire was the way forward.
"Madam (Ms Mufti) said whatever we discussed there. That was the consensus. Let us see what happens next," said Basharat Bukhari, PDP leader and minister.