SRINAGAR : The National Conference (NC) on Wednesday said the worsening human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir and failure to constitute a working group on Centre-State relations were the reasons for its decision not to participate in the next round-table and working groups.

Party president Omar Abdullah said People's Democratic Party founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti were ``agents of New Delhi.'' They were copying the NC's autonomy demand by presenting a self-rule concept, he alleged at a press meet here.

``The PDP came into being because the Autonomy resolution was passed by the State assembly in 2000,''Mr. Abdullah said, indicating that the PDP was created to counter the NC's agenda. Delhi always had ``mouth pieces'' in Kashmir. ``If they (the Centre) want to have self-rule here, why don't they say it directly? Why through the Mufti?''

Dismissing the idea of regional assemblies, Mr. Abdullah said the agenda was to lead the State towards trifurcation. The PDP was carrying forward the BJP's agenda by doing this. ``After regional assemblies, people will ask for separate Chief Ministers and that is the first step towards trifurcation. This means carrying forward BJP's agenda.''

Mr. Abdullah said unless the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was removed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ``zero tolerance'' goal could not be achieved.

The State Government had not done enough to improve the human rights situation. The International Committee for Red Cross had access to jails and the condition there had improved. Its jurisdiction should be extended to interrogation centres too.

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