By Binoo Joshi, IANS,
Jammu : The Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir has been pushing forward a “quiet dialogue between separatists and the centre” for drawing up a roadmap for the resolution of the Kashmir crisis, according to official sources.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is visiting Kashmir for two days from June 7, will be discussing “threadbare the progress of talks with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah”, highly-placed official sources in the know of the nature and progress of the talks told IANS strictly on condition that they were not identified.
Although the prime minister is visiting Kashmir to address the convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), the primary objective is to assess the movement forward in the dialogue process and how it can be taken to its logical conclusion.
Omar Abdullah, the sources disclosed, has made it plain that the success of the dialogue depended upon upholding of human rights and an atmosphere of peace in the state.
According to them, the chief minister is of the view that Delhi alone can rejuvenate the whole process by restraining security forces from committing excesses. Speeding up of development would connect the people to peace and raise their stakes in bringing normalcy as well as encourage separatists to focus on talks rather than on issues that could stir trouble.
The sources said that the chief minister would be drawing the attention of Manmohan Singh to the recommendations of five working groups which were constituted at the conclusion of the second round table conference on Kashmir in Srinagar in May 2006. These groups deliberated on the issues of confidence building measures, economic development, strengthening of cross Line of Control (LoC) relations, good governance and centre-state relations.
Among recommendations of these groups are: withdrawal of troops from Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening of the state’s special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, bringing back youth from the Pakistani part of Kashmir and increasing the travel and trade between the two parts of the state divided by the LoC.
“This assessment of the progress of talks has become important as India is re-opening its dialogue process with Pakistan,” the sources told IANS, and pointed out that separatists were being given a sense of recognition. It was obvious from the comments of Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz in Srinagar Wednesday, when he said “Kashmiri separatists have a view point and we respect that.”
His comments, the sources said, were an echo of the “quiet dialogue” that is in progress. And Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has been talking of political dialogue with separatists ever since he took over the reins in January last year, was “contributing to the pace of dialogue”.
Omar Abdullah’s strong stance on human rights violations and getting arrested a BSF officer and a trooper, allegedly involved in the killing of a teenager Zahid Farooq in Srinagar in February this year, and speaking for other civilians who were at the receiving end of the action of security forces in Pulwama and Kupwara in Kashmir, has helped in creating a climate that has made things work to some extent.
The way hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been allowed to move around and visit places and deliver speeches across the valley has also not gone unnoticed. This is in sharp contrast to the way his movements were restricted a few months ago. There is a change in the atmosphere and that is what is helping the quiet dialogue to take steps, even if those are baby steps only, the sources said.
(Binoo Joshi can be contacted at [email protected])