As Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that the arrival of the Centre’s special representative Dineshwar Sharma “rekindled hope,” the top-rung separatists maintained silence. However, the lower-rung separatists called for a “tripartite dialogue and inclusion of Pakistan [in it].”
In her reaction to Mr. Sharma’s maiden visit to the State, Ms. Mufti tweeted: “I am optimistic that parties and organisations in J&K will not miss this opportunity to be a part of peace parleys. The hope of resolution via dialogue has been rekindled in J&K.”
But the mood on the ground, especially among the separatists, did not match Ms. Mufti’s enthusiasm. “Mr. Sharma’s mission should be made clear. On what issues he is going to start a dialogue,” asked Muzaffar Shah, senior vice-president of the Awami National Conference, a mainstream political party.
‘Shun rigidity’
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said: “The elected representatives in the State made their stand clear when they passed the autonomy resolution in 2000 with a thumping majority.” “Therefore, the Centre must shun rigidity and take it up in the upcoming session of Parliament,” he said at a rally. He asked both India and Pakistan to take “concrete” steps to resolve the “vexed” Kashmir issue.
Pradesh Congress Committee president G.A. Mir said the BJP government’s decision to open talks with all in the State amounted to a U-turn on its Kashmir policy. “If the Centre is open to talks with all, it should come out with a road map.”
Though there was a muted response from Hurriyat chairmen Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chief Yasin Malik, the lower-rung separatists rejected “bilateralism.”
“Any bilateral dialogue between India and the Kashmiri leadership will be an exercise in futility. The appointment will not help as history shows India has never been serious about finding a solution [to the Kashmir issue],” Hurriyat Conference State convener Shabir Ahmed Dar said.
Speaking after a protest in Srinagar, Muslim Khwateen Markaz chairperson Yasmeen Raja said the interlocutor had come “to rub salt into our wounds.”