A delegation of Jammu and Kashmir opposition parties led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met with President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday over the ongoing crisis in the Kashmir Valley. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the president urging him to call for a “credible and meaningful process of political dialogue” involving “all stakeholders” in the state, The Indian Express reported.

“The central government’s refusal to deal with the situation through a political approach is disappointing,” the memorandum submitted to Mukherjee stated. It added that the “unchecked use of lethal force” had resulted in injuries to “hundreds of young boys and girls”. “The use of such weapons, particularly pellet guns, continues unabated as repeated appeals to ban their use have yielded no results,” the opposition’s submission went on to say.

Later, Abdullah accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-People’s Democratic Party coalition government in the state of trying to “crush the agitation by using administrative measures”. Congress leader Ravinder Sharma, who was also part of the delegation, said that the president “appeared concerned and assured us he would do the needful”.

The meeting comes even as protests and demonstrations that began following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani continue in the Valley. Mobile phone services were partially restored on Saturday even as a curfew imposed in the region entered its 43rd day.