SRI NAGAR: Dineshwar Sharma, the Centre’s special representative for Kashmir, reached here for a five-day visit to the state during which he will hold talks with various stakeholders.
Sharma, a former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, will spend three days in the Kashmir Valley and two days in Jammu, where he will hold talks with Governor N N Vohra, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and various delegations.
Gujjar and Bakerwal Conference leader, Mohammad Yaseen Poswal, led a 10-member delegation of the nomadic organisations for talks with Sharma. “We told him that the issue should be resolved by talks and dialogue should be held with all stakeholders, including separatist leaders. We also demanded release of separatist leaders and youth languishing in different jails,” Poswal told the New Indian Express.
He said they told Sharma that peace can be only restored by holding unconditional dialogue with the separatists.
Some student groups and youth also met him with their grievances.“Sharma will be meeting CPI (M) state secretary and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, People’s Democratic Front (PDF) chief and MLA Hakeem Yasin and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir at Tarigami’s residence in Srinagar on November 8,” sources said.At least 60 delegations are scheduled to meet Sharma in Srinagar.
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik have refused to meet Sharma, saying his appointment is nothing but a “time buying tactic” by New Delhi.
Opposition National Conference (NC) and Congress are not optimistic about interlocutor’s ‘Mission Kashmir’. NC president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said his party has no expectation from Sharma.