Start dialogue with separatists: Padgonkar to New Delhi

Srinagar, Apr 5 : With Union Home Ministry asking Jammu and Kashmir government to give its view point on interlocutor’s report, the former chief interlocutor Dilip Padgonkar Sunday urged the Modi Government to start a ‘serious dialogue’ with all the stake holders including the separatist leaders to find a solution to the Kashmir issue.

”New Delhi should engage all stake holders of J&K including the separatist leaders. It is an established fact that the former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had initiated the dialogue with the separatists but unfortunately for some unknown reasons it did not continue. Now when BJP government is again in power it should not lose the opportunity to involve separatist leaders and all the stake holders in finding solution to the political problem of JK,”Padgonkar told KNS over phone from New Delhi.
“Hurriyat leaders must show seriousness in initiating dialogue process with the Government of India. If fresh dialogue process begins separatists should respond positively. Instead of rejecting the offer, they should shun the hardness and come to the table and also bring forth their ideas and demands, so that they can be discussed and a via media found for the solution of all the issues confronting the State,” he said.
Emphasizing the PDP-BJP government to submit their view point to the union Home Ministry about the interlocutors report, Padgonkar said, “The Jammu and Kashmir government should submit its view point. Further it is important for all the JK political parties to express their observations about the report. The group of interlocutors was established on the basis of recommendation made by all party delegation in 2010, so it is important that all the parties should come together to discuss the report.”
Claiming that the third party mediation has no role to resolve Kashmir issue, he said, “It was clearly written and signed in Shimla Agreement of 1972 that the two countries (India and Pakistan) will solve all the issues bilaterally and there is no need for third party mediation.”
It is pertinent to mention here that after nearly three-and-a-half years, the Union Home Ministry has asked the newly formed PDP-BJP state government to give its views on the same so that a final call can be taken on the fate of the report.
“We have asked the state government to study the report and give their views since a new government is now in place. The Omar Abdullah government was also asked in the past to offer its comments but the same did not come. We wish to finalize the government’s stand on the report now – on whether to accept or reject its various recommendations,” a senior home ministry official had said.
The report was prepared by journalist Dilip Padgaonkar, former Information Commissioner M M Ansari and academician Radha Kumar and submitted to the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram, way back in October 2011. The Interlocutors group was formed after an all-party delegation went to J&K in aftermath of the 2010 agitation and was asked to recommend a political solution to the J&K issue.