Dineshwar Sharma visits militancy hotbed Tral, holds talks with seven delegations

SRINAGAR:  The central government’s interlocutor on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma on Thursday visited volatile and militancy infested Tral area in south Kashmir and interacted with representatives of seven delegations.

Sharma, who arrived in the Valley on Tuesday, visited Tral area of Pulwama district today.

He arrived in the town at 10.30 am amidst tight security measures and partial shutdown. The police, CRPF and army men were deployed in strength in the Tral town and its adjoining areas to maintain law and order and foil protests by youth if any.

Sharma stayed at Townhall Tral to interact with the people.

At least seven delegations including cricketers, lawyers and Sikh community members met him during his two hours stay in the town.

Official sources said the cricketers had gone with their bats to meet him and apprised him about the shortage of sports infrastructure in Tral.

The cricketers demanded setting up of a cricket stadium in the area and to provide of coaching facilities to them to further polish their cricketing skills.

Sources said a delegation of villagers from Jauvbera village of Awantipora in Pulwama also called on Sharma.

They said the delegation members apprised the interlocutor about the harassment of civilians by security personnel and also informed him that army and CRPF men have taken control of some land and prevented locals from stone quarrying.

Sources said a delegation of Sikh members also met Sharma and demanded minority community status for the community.

Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Ghulam Mohammad Dar told New Indian Express that seven delegations, all apolitical, met Sharma in Tral today.

He said no invitations were extended to anybody and all the delegations came on their own to meet the interlocutor and apprise him about their issues.

Dar said Sharma, who was appointed as an interlocutor in October last year, stayed in Tral for two hours and left at around 12.30 noon.

Tral is volatile area and hotbed of militancy and is known as “Tora Bora” of Kashmir. It is the hometown of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and Al Qaeda Kashmir cell chief Zakir Musa.

The militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen are active in Tral area and planning of most of the militant attacks has taken place in the area.