All Indians in Kashmir are stakeholders: Interlocutor

JAMMU: The Centre’s special representative for Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, on Friday indicated his keenness to engage separatists in talks.

Responding to media queries, the former Intelligence Bureau chief said that his first visit was a “good experience”. When asked whether he considered Hurriyat Conference a stakeholder in the state, he said, “All Indian citizens living in Jammu and Kashmir are stakeholders.”

His comments assume significance as the separatists rejected talks and refused to meet Sharma during his stay in Srinagar.

When asked whether he was hopeful of meeting Hurriyat during his next visit, he said, “Let us see. I am going to visit J&K again and again. It was my first visit and it was very fruitful.” However, he didn’t respond to why Hurriyat, which doesn’t believe in the Indian constitution, was considered important.

On the last leg of his five-day visit, Sharma met over 30 delegations from civil society, including political outfits like the Panthers Party, (NCP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and independent MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta. Sharma refused to share details of his meeting with governor NN Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti here on Thursday, saying, “Discussions with them can’t be divulged in the media.” On Thursday, Sharma had informed Vohra about his talks with various individuals and groups in the Valley.