Apr 28 2011
New Delhi : The three interlocutors appointed by the Centre on the Kashmir issue are due to submit their report outlining the political contours of a solution shortly. Work on the report is in its final stages.
Those drawing up the report say it would be more than simply just the perspective of those who live in the Valley. It would take a much broader view of all regions and communities.
The head of the committee, Dileep Padgaonkar, told The Indian Express , “The political, economic and cultural aspirations in Jammu and Kashmir differ from region to region and within each region, from one community to another. Therefore, to appraise the aspirations from the prism of any one region or community would grossly distort the realities on the ground.”
The interlocutors have just concluded a two-day meeting in Srinagar with academics and intellectuals, and a meeting in Jammu with the legal fraternity.
(Courtesy : www.indianexpress.com)
‘Getting out of Hurriyat like Azadi’
Srinagar (April 22, 2011) : The cracks in the Hurriyat Conference seem to have deepened with suspended leader Moulvi Abbas Ansari declaring on Thursday that the decision by Hurriyat chaiman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq spelt “azadi” for him. Meanwhile, rift within the separatist conglomerate widened when the Mirwaiz refuted Ansari’s e
arlier claim that New Delhi-appointed mediators — Dilip Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and MM Ansari — “just landed at my door”. He also accused the interlocutors of “adding confusion and working under extreme sense of desperation”.
Ansari, who met the interlocutors despite Hurriyat taking a joint decision not to meet them, told HT, “I am not angry with them, it’s actually azadi (freedom) for me to carry forward my quest and mission for peace. I have always believed that guns and bombs are no solution for any problem. The solution always lies in dialogue.”
The decision has not only highlighted the cracks in the moderate camp, but also divided the Hurriyat on sectarian lines. While the Mirwaiz is a Sunni leader, Ansari, who is also a former chairman of the Hurriyat, is a Shia cleric. Ansari’s move has also seen supporters come out on the streets in some Shia-dominated areas.
Ansari’s Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen is an executive council member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella body headed by the Mirwaiz.
While claiming he “only spelled” the preconditions for the talks in his meeting with the interlocutors, Ansari said, “I told the group that the dialogue has to be meaningful and acceptable to all parties — India, Pakistan and Kashmiris, and that the security forces should be in camps and not out on the roads as occupation forces.”
He, however, did not stress on the “four-point pre-conditions” as given by the Mirwaiz. They include releasing political prisoners, revoking laws such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, taking the army off populated areas and ending alleged human rights abuses.
(Courtesy : www.hindustantimes.com)
Interlocutors interact with delegations in Kishtwar
Jammu : In yet another visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre's interlocutors today interacted in Kishtwar district with various delegations comprising social groups and political parties.
The interlocutors, led by journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, held detailed discussions with the delegations and apprised them of the proposals submitted by them to the Union government.
The Panel, also comprising academician Radha Kumar and former Information Commissioner M M Ansari, assured members of the delegations that their views and demands would be taken into consideration.
Among the political parties and social groups which met the interlocutors were National Conference, Congress, PDP, National Panthers Party, BJP, Kishtwar Muslim Forum, Hill Development Council, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Imam Sahib Jamia Masjid, Kishtwar and United Muslim Council, Kishtwar.
(Courtesy : www.indianexpress.com)
Interlocutors meet Governor, Jammu lawyers
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Jammu : The three-member team of Interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir Dileep Padgaonkar, Prof Radha Kumar and M M Ansari, Saturday held a detailed meeting with members of Bar Association Jammu. Prominent Supreme Court lawyer, and senior Congress leader, Advocate Ashok Bhan had been specially invited by the Bar to participate in the meeting.
The Jammu Bar President, B S Salathia, presented a detailed memo to the interlocutors and highlighted the ‘discrimination’ of Jammu region in the matter of politics, employment and allocation of funds. During interactive session, several speakers reiterated Salathi’s assertion and demanded end of regional ‘disparity’.
Padgaonkar in his speech said, “We have not submitted final recommendations to the center yet and all media reports are speculative in this regard. We have come here to listen to the Bar Association members with an open mind in order to enlist their suggestions in our report.”
Ashok Bhan thanked the people of Jammu for having accepted the large population of Kashmiri pandits into social and economic fold of Jammu region. He gave his experience about the Kashmir regional yearning for peace and peaceful settlement of Kashmir imbroglio and emphasized upon GoI to address the grievances of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir before embarking on the finality of any solution which will respect the aspirations of all the 3-regions.
He said that legal and constitution relationship between the state and the center were governed by Article 1 of Indian Constitution and section 3 of state constitution. “Besides this J&K enjoys special status as a distinct constitutional entity,” he added. The three-member team also met the Governor, N N Vohra, at Raj Bhavan here today. This was their fifth meeting with him. During their two hour meeting with the Governor, the Interlocutors held wide ranging discussions on issues emerging from their meetings with various shades of opinion during their present visit to the State.
(Courtesy : www.kashmirdispatch.com)
‘Report not on the lines of pre-1953 status’
JAMMU (24 Apr 2011) : The Centre's interlocutors today said that they have not prepared any draft which recommends grant of "pre-53 status" to Jammu and Kashmir, insisting that their report would contain "all major viewpoints".
"All we can say is that we have not prepared any draft as yet nor there is one ready to be submitted in the near future on these lines (grant of pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir)," head of the three-member panel of interlocutors Dileep Padgaonkar told reporters here.
He was replying to a volley of questions about media reports claiming that an interim report to be submitted to government favours grant of pre-1953 status to Jammu and Kashmir, which will empower the state to take decisions on all matters except Defence, External Affairs and Communication, beside other privileges.
Discounting the reports, Padgaonkar said, "We have not made any recommendations nor is there any particular recommendation in our mind unless we speak to all the people. Our report would be comprehensive and containing all major viewpoints".
On the issue of most of the separatists leaders keeping away from talks, Padgaonkar said, "Though efforts are on to bring separatists to the dialogue table. But if still, the exercise remains futile, the interim report has to be submitted to the Government of India excluding them."
The visit by the interlocutors saw breaking of ice with separatists with former Hurriyat chairman Moulvi Abbas Ansari meeting them in Srinagar on Wednesday for which he was suspended from the amalgam.
The interlocutors met over 50 delegations during their fortnight-long visit to the Kashmir Valley, Doda, Kishtwar and Jammu areas of the state. "We have met sections of society during our visits and got to know about facts and figures on J&K situation but at the behest of one section, the report prepared so far, cannot be delayed and has to be submitted with the authorities concerned," he said.
"We interacted with more than 50 delegations from all parts of the erstwhile Doda district and the issues they discussed with us included social and economic backwardness of the inhabitants due to the fact that the vast region's enormous natural wealth is yet to be completely tapped," Padgaonkar said.
The people, however, stressed the need for effective, constitutionally guaranteed devolution of political, financial and administrative powers to all the three regions of the state and a further devolution at all levels, he said.
The interlocutors said in the coming days inter-regional roundtable conferences would also be conducted in all the three regions. Padgaonkar along with academician Radha Kumar and former Information Commissioner M M Ansari were appointed by the Centre in October last year.
(Courtesy : http://expressbuzz.com)
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