BJP’s K-unit start talks with ‘genuine’ groups

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 30

The central BJP leadership has deputed some members of its “think tank” on Kashmir to explore the possibilities of engaging with “nationalist” forces in the dialogue process.

The members of this think tank include some stalwarts working behind the scenes on the BJP’s policy on Kashmir. The team has started track-II diplomacy to break the stalemate.

Highly placed sources said that keeping in view the pressure from some social groups to initiate talks for restoring normalcy in Kashmir, the BJP leadership had deputed the team to identify “nationalist” groups in the Valley with which the government would start a dialogue without diluting its stand.

The BJP’s coalition partner in the state PDP and other groups are demanding dialogue with all stakeholders so the party leadership has decided to engage with groups whose credentials are not doubtful and to give a message that it is not averse to holding talks on Kashmir.

“The channels of communications have already been opened with some groups,” a source said. The source said the members of the think tank had received an encouraging response from some Valley-based groups.

The central BJP leadership has constituted a dedicated team on Kashmir, which is deliberating on all issues of the Valley and guiding party leaders from time to time, sources said.

BJP national president Amit Shah, while responding to a query from mediapersons in Kolkata on April 26, had announced that the party’s team which deals with the policies on Kashmir would sit together and discuss Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s proposal for counselling youth caught in the vortex of violence in the state.

Sources said on the one hand, the BJP has decided to give a free hand to the security forces to deal with anti-national forces and on the other, it had decided to engage with some groups in the dialogue process.

“BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav’s unscheduled visit to Srinagar today was aimed at engaging some nationalist groups in the dialogue process,” a source said, adding that some members of the BJP’s policy group on Kashmir were already camping in the Valley.

Sources made it clear that there was no question of engaging with any separatist or pro-Azadi group in the dialogue process. The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that it would talk to only those persons who are legally permitted to hold talks on behalf of people of Kashmir. The government is willing to talk to only recognised political parties in the state.