In a move to start the dialogue process with all groups, including separatists, the Centre on Monday appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as the Special Representative of the Government of India to “initiate and carry forward” the peace mission in Kashmir. The move is seen as a major change of stance by the Centre, which had all along taken a very tough stand against the separatists.
“Sharma has been appointed at the rank of Cabinet Secretary and will have full freedom to decide whom to engage in talks. There is no time limit specified as the issue is sensitive,” said Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
To a volley of questions on talks with Hurriyat leaders, the Home Minister reiterated that Sharma would have complete independence in deciding who to hold talks with. “The Centre has shown conviction and consistency on the Kashmir issue and carrying forward this policy, we have decided to begin a sustained dialogue policy for Jammu & Kashmir. And for this, we have decided to appoint Dineshwar Sharma as Special Representative of the Government of India,” Rajnath told reporters.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address that problems in the State could be solved neither by bullet nor by abuses, but by embracing the people, Rajnath said the Government is sensitive to issues related to J&K.
Rajnath said the Prime Minister had held a series of meetings with political representatives on the Kashmir issue. “All of them were clear that the process of dialogue should begin in the Valley,” he said. Asked about the failure of similar initiatives undertaken earlier, Rajnath said, “Please take it from me that whatever we do, we will do with good intentions and clear policy.”
On a question on the fact that past reports of interlocutors were gathering dust in the Home Ministry, he said, “You cannot pre-judge that this initiative will not be successful. Our announcement shows how serious we are about initiating a dialogue.”
Rajnath said Sharma would initiate sustained interactions and dialogue to understand the legitimate aspirations of the people, especially the youth, and try to fulfil them.
Sharma, a 1979-batch (retired) officer of the Indian Police Service, served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau from December 2014 to 2016.
Asked whether a police officer was capable of holding talks on such a sensitive issue, Rajnath shot back, “What’s wrong in thatIJ He is an apolitical person having no political affiliation, which is his greatest advantage. Besides, he is well aware of the internal security situation of the country.”
Sharma is the fourth interlocutor appointed by the Centre since 2002. The first one was former Union Minister KC Pant, the second NN Vohra, the present Governor of the State, and the last was a three-member panel comprising former bureaucrat MM Ansari, academician Radha Kumar and late journalist Dileep Padgaonkar.
Meanwhile, in Srinagar, the appointment of Sharma as the Center’s interlocutor has not received a response
from the separatists, even as the mainstream political leaders including Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed it.
All separatist leaders in Srinagar who were approached by reporters, refused to offer their comments. The Joint Resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik is likely to respond to the development on Tuesday.
Mehbooba Mufti said the political process on Kashmir was necessary at this time and hoped that the stakeholders in Kashmir would take the opportunity and enter into the dialogue process.
Expressing happiness over the development, she conceded the situation in Kashmir was not good and people were fed up with the violence. “It is the right time to announce the dialogue process. If the Centre has taken a step, we, including other stakeholders, should also move a step ahead in cashing in on the opportunity and enter into the dialogue process,” Mehbooba said after a State Cabinet meeting.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vaguely responded to the development but his MP father Farooq Abdullah described it as “waste of time”.
“Will keep an open mind & wait to see results of the dialogue process,” Omar Abdullah tweeted. However, Farooq Abdullah said that the Centre failed in all its measures to deal with Kashmir issue and had now announced a dialogue which is “waste of time”.
He said the Centre should present the reports of all former interlocutors on Kashmir in Parliament.
“What is the need to appoint another person as interlocutorIJ Did not Padgoankar hold sustained dialogue for two yearsIJ What is its basisIJ (Ajit) Doval’s doctrine of suppressing Kashmiris has failed. Kashmiri’s showed that the more they are suppressed the more they rise,” he said while talking to reporters here.
“They thought demonetisation will end this here, but it did not. So their policies failed and now they came up with this announcement to start a dialogue process here,” he said.
He said that BJP came up with many stands and all these stands proved futile.
“This announcement of dialogue is another ploy on Kashmir and waste of time,” he said, adding that the NC has reiterated that Kashmir is a political issue which needs a political solution.
Former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz welcomed the dialogue said that all stakeholders including Hurriyat Conference should be included into the dialogue process for a meaningful outcome.