By IANS,
Srinagar: The central government-appointed interlocutors on Kashmir Wednesday met a senior leader of the moderate Hurriyat group during their current visit to the Valley.
Addressing a media conference in summer capital Srinagar at the end of their two-day-long round table deliberations with local intellectuals, writers, journalists and members of various mainstream political parties, the head of the three-member team of interlocutors Dileep Padgaonkar said: “We met Molvi Abbas Ansari at his residence in Srinagar on Wednesday to discuss ways and means to carry forward the dialogue process that would lead to a peaceful settlement in Jammu and Kashmir.”
The meeting assumes special significance in light of the stated position of the moderate Hurriyat group that none of its leaders would interact with the interlocutors.
“We had an hour-long discussion with Ansari during which he said he favoured talks with the government of India to arrive at such a settlement,” Padgonkar said.
“He stressed that such a dialogue must be held at the appropriate forum and India must take confidence building measures based on the four points already put forward by the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat group,” he added.
The Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat group had put forth four points to create a congenial atmosphere in Kashmir. These include release of political prisoners and youth, revoking the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and gradual demilitarisation.
Ansari represents the Shia Ittehadul Muslimeen group in the moderate Hurriyat and has also been the chairman of the group in the past.
The other two interlocutors, academician Radha Kumar and senior bureaucrat M.M. Ansari were also present at Wednesday’s media briefing.
Padgaonkar said the deliberations at the two-day-long round table deliberations held here focused mainly on devolution of powers to the state government, restoration of the pre-1953 status, and the significance of maintaining the regional unity of the state comprising its three regions of Jammu, Ladakh and the Valley.
“There was a consensus among those who spoke at the round table that J&K must become a free economic zone, allowing opening of all road links between its parts divided between India and Pakistan, the necessity for continued people-to-people contact and reducing the footprints of the security forces whose presence gave one to believe India was represented in Kashmir by just the security forces,” he said.
The interlocutors also said that Jammu and Kashmir needed to be compensated for its water resources, whose use had been limited because of the signing of the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan.
Radha Kumar said the interlocutors had met around 450 delegations during the course of their visits to the three regions of the state.