Home minister Rajnath Singh, who had led the team of politicians, indicated to some opposition leaders that the Centre was considering a panel for talks with all stakeholders, including the Hurriyat, sources said.
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“One fails to understand what hope to attach with a delegation which has not spelled out its mandate for any engagement on a clear agenda”, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a joint statement. “We neither said “Yes” nor “No” (to the move)”, he said. When asked about whether the home minister would speak to Pakistan about the issue, Singh said, “Let’s first speak to those in the country”.
At the meet, 26 lawmakers from 20 parties, who made up the all-party delegation that visited Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week, were present.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the all-party delegation, which visited the state recently to find a solution for restoring peace in the valley, in the national capital.
The Congress will be represented by Lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajya Sabha veteran Ambika Soni. CPM leader M Y Tarigami, however, termed the call for holding talks with all stakeholders as “significant”.
Making an emotional appeal, the chief minister said the separatist leaders lost an opportunity by refusing to engage in a dialogue with the government and prominent members of Parliament.
The delegation’s efforts to reach out to separatists in Srinagar on the first day of its visit drew a blank.
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal-United’s Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and Communist Party of India’s D. Raja had gone to meet Hurriyat leaders but the latter declined to meet them. “The issue is serious and now the Union government has to draw out a plan of action to solve the issue…” said Premachandran, hinting at serious consequences if this is not done. Schools need to reopen and people need to lead a normal life, members of the delegation also said. The news channel reported that 708 vehicles are given to 481 separatists and 440 of them are accommodated in secure hotels.
“Briefed the Prime Minister on all-party delegation’s visit to J&K and also apprised him of the situation in the State”, Singh tweeted after the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence.
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“Despite the challenges and impediments, the prevailing painful situation in Kashmir necessitates once again reaching out to all shades of political opinion in the state and initiating substantive political and economic measures to revive and consolidate the peace and resolution process”, she said. Besides these, the Centre would also scrutinise their bank accounts and complete investigations in pending cases against them to send out a strong message to those provoking youths in Kashmir Valley to create disturbance since the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani.
