Sharma, Vohra discuss talk parameters

J&K governor assures of all help for peace in the Valley

Dineshwar Sharma, the Centre’s special representative for talks on Kashmir, on Sunday called on the state’s governor N.N. Vohra and discussed the broad parameters of the proposed talks with all stakeholders.

The one-hour-long meeting which took place at the Kashmir House in the national capital comes days after the Centre announced the appointment of Mr Sharma as its special representative to initiate dialogue, in a fresh move aimed at bringing peace to the troubled state. After the meeting, a release issued by the Raj Bhavan said the governor briefed Mr Sharma in great detail about the environment and the expectations and hopes of the political parties and the people at large from the ensuing dialogue.

“The governor assured him of all help, as he may require, in carrying through his task, and wished him high success in his endeavour,” the statement said. Mr Vohra, an experienced hand in handling the Kashmir issue, has been the governor of the state since 2008. In early 2000’s he was also appointed by the then Vajpayee-led government as an interlocutor for talks on Kashmir. On October 26, Mr Sharma, a former director of Intelligence Bureau, had met state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti here and discussed the Kashmir issue with her. Mr Sharma, an old Kashmir hand in the country’s internal intelligence agency, enjoys the rank and status of a Cabinet secretary. Home minister Rajnath Singh has already made it clear that Mr Sharma would decide whom to engage with for a resolution of the Kashmir issue.