Pushing ahead with its campaign on de-militarisation in Jammu and Kashmir, People's Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday.
Later, she said she discussed wide ranging issues with him including pulling out security forces from civilian areas in the state.
Mehbooba, camping in the national capital for last two days, had earlier held a series of meetings with Congress leaders, including United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee after Congress shot down the PDP proposal for holding a special cabinet meeting to discuss the issue of de-militarisation.
The rift between the state's two key ruling alliance partners widened when PDP did not participate in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday night to discuss the formation of new districts.
The decision to stay away from the Cabinet came despite the meeting Mehbooba had with Gandhi.
After the ten-minute meeting with Dr Singh, a press release issued by PDP said Mehbooba met the prime minister to discuss the issues of troop reduction, revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and vacation of agricultural and orchard land and private and government buildings taken over by security forces for anti-militancy drive in the state.
She said the systematic and time-bound reduction of troops and revocation of AFSPA would be the 'most appropriate and fitting response to the fast changing ground situation in the state', the release said.
'The cost of not doing so, I am afraid, would be much higher for the state and the nation', she was quoted as telling Dr Singh.
