All Indians in Kashmir are stakeholders: Interlocutor
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, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and independent
JAMMU:
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.
The governor had told Sharma that notwithstanding any initial reservations in some groups, he must sustain the dialogue and hear one and all, particularly elements of the society who apparently held contrary convictions.
Sharma said he was appointed by the Centre as special representative for sustained dialogue with the stakeholders aimed at restoration of peace in the state.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association expressed regrets over the Centre’s approach towards the nationalist people of the state. It stated that Article 35A and Article 370 were against the spirit of the preamble of the Indian constitution and that of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution.