Sharma wraps up J&K visit, medley of issues brought up

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 11

From potholes to the Kashmir issue and reservation to scrapping of Article 35A, Centre’s special representative to Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma had it all during his six-day visit to the state.

He met 65 delegations during his visit, besides meeting Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir.

As Sharma had kept doors open for all Indian citizens, whom he termed stakeholders, he allowed delegations to speak about their day-to-day issues, whether it concerned him or not and whether he would be able to address them.

His visit has, however, brought a hope that sustained dialogue will be held in future. Official spokesperson for the J&K Government Naeem Akhtar, who is also Minister for Roads and Buildings, had said on Monday that dialogue would be held despite people’s divergent views.

Though Dineshwar Sharma was not able to take along much but on Friday he termed his visit “very fruitful”.

It was on October 23 that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had announced Sharma’s appointment as the special representative to Jammu and Kashmir with an open mandate to talk to anyone. This announcement had come in the backdrop of the August 15 statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that peace would return by embracing Kashmiris and Rajnath Singh’s own statement that by 2022, the Kashmir issue would be resolved.

Sharma today flew back to New Delhi at 11.30 am from Jammu with a message that he will be coming to the state again and again to talk to the stakeholders.

Interlocutor had kept doors open for all

• Centre’s special representative to Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma met 65 delegations during his visit to the state, besides meeting Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti
• As Sharma had kept doors open for all Indian citizens, whom he termed stakeholders, he allowed delegations to speak about their day-to-day issues, whether it concerned him or not