Ahead of the two-day visit of an all-party delegation to Jammu & Kashmir starting Sunday, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote a letter inviting separatist leaders, including those of the Hurriyat Conference to hold talks with the parliamentary group. Most of the separatist leaders are under detention and the initiative by Mehbooba is likely to remain a mere initiative. Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has already announced boycott of the all-party delegation and asked other stakeholders to keep away too.
Mehbooba’s letter came in the backdrop of several Opposition leaders, besides Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, favouring a dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference leaders to restore normalcy in the State witnessing unrest for the last two months following the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani.
The demand was made during a Government briefing of the delegation in New Delhi on Saturday about the situation in the State and contours of the visit by 30 MPs, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. He said the final call for inviting Hurriyat Conference and separatists will be taken by the Chief Minister.
In her letter issued later in the day, she said, “This will be the start of a credible and meaningful political dialogue and resolution process to end the stalemate.”
As many as 72 people have died in the violence and thousands injured. Several MPs, including Sitaram Yechury (CPM), suggested that besides inviting Hurriyat, the Government should make some tangible announcements like a ban on pellet guns, withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from civilian areas, and compensation package for the victims of the current violence. Yechury said it should be a follow up of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement of peace initiative on the basis of Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat.
Mehbooba issued the invitation letters on a day when she faced angry people in south Kashmir's Kund, Qazigund area where she had gone to offer condolences to the family of Mashooq Ahmad Sheikh, a youngster who was killed by security forces on July 21 while quelling a protest. Clashes erupted in the area after Mehbooba landed in a helicopter at an Army camp and drove to the house of the bereaved family. At least three persons were detained by the police for taking part in the protests.
In her letter to separatist and heads of religious groups, Mehbooba said her party always considered Hurriyat Conference as a stakeholder in the peace, resolution and prosperity of the State.
She urged the separatists to share their thoughts and beliefs with the delegation who represented the people of India besides the Government of India. Issuing the letter in her capacity as the head of People's Democratic Party (PDP), she also appealed to all separatist leadership to give thought to her suggestion and indicate the time and place of their convenience for an exchange of ideas with the delegation.
"Cutting across party lines and political positions, the country's political leadership has reached out and it is for us to collectively lend it credence and credibility," Mehbooba said. "All of us, be it the mainstream political parties or political groups with a separatist agenda, voice the urges and aspirations of our people, as we understand those, and seek a resolution of the problems as we see them from our own perspectives."
She recalled her party's manifestos in previous elections where her party sought involvement of Hurriyat Conference for seeking resolution to issues. Mehbooba said her party after entering into an alliance with the BJP devised 'Agenda of Alliance', that made it obligatory to the State Government to "create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues and help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all the stakeholders, including all political groups in J&K irrespective of their ideological views and predilections to build a broad based consensus on resolution of all outstanding issues of J&K."
Meanwhile, in the interactive session in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh informed MPs about the prevailing situation in the State and contours of the tour during which they will hold talks with a cross-section of people. Views and positions held by different stake holders were also conveyed to the delegation.
Paswan, who was a member of the all-party delegation during the unrest in the Kashmir Valley in 2010, said he had then met separatists in the Valley adding those meetings provided a healing touch. The Government should reach out to all stakeholders, he said.
leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is part of the delegation, said, "We have said that the option of dialogue should be open to all stakeholders. The Government should open the dialogue with all stakeholders. The Centre and the State Government know who the stakeholders are. They have to identify the stakeholders and invite," he said in the presence of Tariq Anwar of NCP, a UPA constituent. Azad said the pellet guns should be replaced with less lethal options to control protesters in Kashmir Valley.
The Home Minister said all members gave suggestions on the proposed visit adding the delegation will meet all representatives in Jammu and Kashmir. After returning to Delhi on Monday night, the delegation will meet once again "and the government will take action based on their suggestions," he said.
Several Opposition leaders proposed a visit to different hospitals in the city to meet those injured by pellet guns as well the injured security personnel. Given the current volatile situation in the Valley, the visit to hospitals was not advisable, the MPs were told. Sources said the MPs were informed that even during the last two visits of the Home Minister, he was advised by the security agencies to avoid the hospitals fearing demonstrations.
As regards the briefing, they said social media and false rumours were flagged as one of the biggest concerns in tackling the situation in Kashmir. This was a new phase in militancy there with educated Kashmiris using social media to espouse their so-called cause, sources said.
Issues like stone pelting on security forces, armed militants mixing with stone pelters and addressing rallies besides firing on security forces, threats to Government officers, political representatives and families of policemen and peaceful protests with anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans also figured in the briefing to delegation, they said.
The delegation includes besides the Home Minister, Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Ghulam Nabi Azad, his lok Sabha colleague Mallikarjun Kharge, senior
Congress leader Ambika Soni, Ram Vilas Paswan (lJP), JD-U leader Sharad Yadav, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja.
Saugata Roy (TMC), Tariq Anwar (NCP), Sanjay Raut and Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), TDP's Thota Narasimham, Prem Singh Chandumajra (Shiromani Akali Dal), Dilip Tirkey (Biju Janta Dal), AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, AIUDF's Badaruddin Ajmal and Muslim league's E Ahamed will be part of the delegation.
Jitendra Reddy (TTR), NK Premchandran (RSP), P Venugopal (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), YB Subba (YSR-Cong), Jaiprakash Yadav (RJD), Dharamveer Gandhi (AAP) and Dushyant Chautala (RlD) are also in the team. BSP and Samajwadi Party have extended their support but have not been able to nominate any of their members.