The Centre’s special representative to Jammu & Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, started his five-day maiden visit to the State on Monday on a subdued note, holding talks with delegations of youth, sports outfits and shikarawalas.
While the separatists have refused to break bread with him, even the response from political parties has been far from encouraging to Sharma’s “Mission Kashmir”.
During his visit, he will stay in Kashmir valley for three days before flying to winter capital Jammu, where the State Government has begun functioning after the biennial durbar move. Sharma was appointed as interlocutor on J&K by the Central Government last month to initiate sustained dialogue process while talking to all the stakeholders in the State for resolving the problems related to the State.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Khan received Sharma at the airport. Sources said eleven delegations met Sharma, including Youth Sports Forum Qamarwari, City FM owner Tariq Bhat, Students Association Pattan, Youth Sports Fraternity led by Mughammad Yousuf, Gujar Association-led by Muhammad Yousuf Poswal, Peace Forum Ganderbal led by Peer Yousuf, Shikara Association and Youth Forum Kupwara.
Sources in the divisional administration said invitation letters have been sent to several individuals and organisations ranging from trade bodies to political groups.
Reports said during last weekend some Government officials made attempts to persuade octogenarian Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani to meet the interlocutor.
However, Geelani in a statement claimed that he declined to meet Sharma while describing the current process a delaying tactic to evade “resolution of the basic Kashmir dispute”.
The joint resistance leadership separatist (JRl) comprising Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has already dismissed any possibility of a dialogue with the interlocutor.
Former Chief Minister and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah has shown pessimism on the outcome of Sharma’s intervention. He said he does not expect much from the process being started by appointing a new interlocutor. Farooq said restoration of internal autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir that existed before August 1953 was the acceptable solution to Kashmir issue.
Chief Minister Mehbooba, immediately after the appointment of Sharma had said dialogue is the need of the hour and the only way forward.
Before arriving in Kashmir, Sharma announced in New Delhi that he does not have a “magic wand” but “my efforts have to be judged with sincerity and not through the prism of the past”.