‘GoI must assure that it will act upon recommendations of the representative’
Srinagar: Former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said that Dineshwar Sharma, interlocutor appointed by Government of India to hold dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir should send a written invitation to Hurriyat leaders to participate in the dialogue process rather than issuing press statements.
Sinha said that the appointment of Sharma is a positive development and he should give a time frame of completing his dialogue process than making it indefinite.
“Dineshwar Sharma has expressed his desire to talk to the Hurriyat, but that should be followed by Mr Sharma by sending a written invitation to Hurriyat leaders to meet them at a certain time and place. Only giving press statements will not do,” Sinha told KNS.
“Then he should see how the Hurriyat will respond. My own recommendation will be that if Hurriyat receives a written invitation then they should respond positively and talk to the representative, “he said.
Hurriyat leaders have rejected the dialogue process and called it a ‘time buying tactic’.
Sinha added that the interlocutor should be given an opportunity.
“There is a doubt,” he said about the earlier interlocutions and their reports on Kashmir submitted to the centre.
“Let’s try and give one more opportunity to the interlocutor of this government. We should give the representative time and hopefully something good comes out of it,” he said.
He said that nobody in Government of India or Government of Jammu and Kashmir or political and civil society should try to wreck this initiative.
“It should be allowed through,” he said.
“Also, the representative should tell people of Jammu and Kashmir that he will complete his job of talks to people and making his recommendations within a certain time limit and it should not be indefinite,” he said, adding that giving time-frame will wade off the allegations that Hurriyat has levelled that “it is only buying time and nothing will come out”.
Sinha had led a “concerned citizens” group to Kashmir last year and had pressed for “multi-dimensional dialogue” with Hurriyat and has asked the government to improve human rights situation.
Speaking about his impression while talking to Hurriyat leaders during his visits, Sinha said that Hurriyat had agreed to join dialogue which is without pre-conditions.
(With inputs from KNS)
