Yashwant-led team meets separatist leaders in Srinagar

A five-member civil society delegation, led by senior BJP leader and former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha, met separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq here on Tuesday in an effort to break the ice over the unrest in the Kashmir Valley, triggered by the killing of militant commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July.

The delegation has, however, no mandate from the BJP government at the Centre as was made clear by Mr Sinha. “We are few people of goodwill who have come here on the basis of humanity. The aim is to share the pain and sufferings of the people. If we can do that, we will consider ourselves as fortunate,” Mr Sinha told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Mr Geelani at his Hyderpora residence here.

Also, the BJP distanced itself from Mr Sinha’s meeting with the octogenarian separatist leader, saying the party has nothing to do with it. “It is not a BJP delegation. BJP has nothing to do with this,” the party’s national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

The other members of the delegation are Wajahat Habibullah, former chairperson of the National

Commission for Minorities and first Chief Information Commissioner of India, Kapil Kak, former vice-air marshal, who is currently associated with the Centre of Air Power Studies, Bharat Bhushan, journalist and Sushobha Barve, executive director of the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation.