Interlocutor finally ‘reaches out’ to South Kashmir
Anantnag: As the Union government’s special envoy on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, landed in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, delegations to have an interaction with the interlocutor had already lined up. Sharma, who arrived in Anantnag early morning amid heightened security arrangements met around 26 delegations at the Dak bungalow.
Delegations from Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC) and PDP met Sharma and most of the mainstream politicians expressed their ‘concerns’ regarding the FIRs that have been registered against the youth in south Kashmir.
Interestingly, a delegation from BJP too demanded that FIRs against minor stone pelters should be revoked.
The delegation was headed by Rafiq Ahmad Wani.
“Our meeting with the interlocutor focused mainly on the youth. We requested Sharma to release the minor’s who have been booked for stone pelting and are presently lodged in different jails,” Wani, in-charge of BJP in Anantang said.
The Congress delegation however, was of the opinion that the dialogue process needs to be more broad based.
The Congress delegation led by MLA Shangus, Gulzar Ahmad Wani while welcoming Sharma said that they “asked Dineshwar Sharma to take steps to involve all the stakeholders in the peace process including the Hurriyat conference.”
He said that they discussed the issues concerning the youth and also asked him about the measures that need to be taken to resolve Kashmir issue on the administrative and political level. He said that issue of youth languishing in different jails was also discussed during the meeting with the interlocutor.
Notably, the PDP’s delegation was led by Imran Ahmad, President Youth Forum, Anantnag.
The PDP delegation demanded that the government should revoke FIRs against the youth. They also demanded to speed up the development works in the state. The delegation also raised the issue of Power projects and an employment package for the state.
Dineshwar Sharma also met a Pundit delegation from Mattan town of the district. The delegation demanded rehabilitation of the displaced pundits. They demanded separate townships for the migrant pundits in the valley.
The student delegations which met interlocutor include the students from Women’s Degree College Anantnag. The delegation was led by a student, Nafeesa.
She said that during the meeting with the interlocutor they demanded a permanent political solution to the Kashmir issue. Another student delegation from Government Degree College Kokernag also met Dineshwar Sharma.
“We want a permanent solution of Kashmir issue and we conveyed the same to the interlocutor. We are hopeful that he will talk with the union government regarding this,” a student from degree college Kokernag told ‘Kashmir Vision’.
The student also said that they demanded the release of youths from the jails.
A delegation of Civil Society Anantnag met Dineshwar Sharma at the end of the day. The Civil society group demanded a special employment package for the Kashmiri youth. They also demanded the revocation of FIRs against youth.
KV Correspondent
