CS, HS brief Sharma; Talwara visit today
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 24: Centre Government’s Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma today called on Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and had detailed discussions with them on implementation of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) announced recently by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and some more CBMs that could be taken in future.
On his arrival here this afternoon on second six-day visit to the State, Dineshwar also visited Jagti migrant camp in Nagrota town, where he assured the Kashmiri Pandit migrants that they were major stakeholders in any solution to Jammu and Kashmir and would be taken fully into confidence.
The Special Representative will visit Talwara to meet terror attack victims and other migrants. He will also meet few delegations tomorrow, before flying to Srinagar on Sunday morning, where he will visit South Kashmir and inter-act with the people till November 29 when he would depart to New Delhi.
In the evening, Chief Secretary B B Vyas and Home Secretary R K Goyal briefed Sharma on the situation prevailing in the State and steps taken to implement CBMs.
Sources told the Excelsior that soon after his arrival here this afternoon from New Delhi, Dineshwar Sharma left for the official residence of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti here and had nearly half-an-hour long discussions with her on roadmap ahead on Jammu and Kashmir after announcement of four major CBMs for the State by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs a day before.
“What more CBMs can be taken by Centre and State Governments in the days to come also reportedly figured during the meeting between the Chief Minister and the Special Representative,” they said, adding that Mehbooba left for Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, after the meeting.
The Chief Minister, sources disclosed, was expected to review implementation of the CBMs soon with top brass of civil and police administration. The CBMs included manifold increase in compensation for victims of Pakistan ceasefire violations, amnesty to first-time stone pelters, 800mw free electricity to Jammu and Kashmir to cope up with harsh winter season and bringing Jammu and Kashmir Police martyrs at par with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in terms of compensation paid to their family members.
Sources said the Centre Government could initiate some more CBMs on the basis of second report by the Special Representative on his return to New Delhi following six-day visit as Dineshwar Sharma was also expected to visit South Kashmir, once the hub of militancy, during his current tour.
This was Dineshwar Sharma’s third one-to-one meeting with Mehbooba Mufti. He had met Mehbooba in New Delhi soon after his announcement by the Centre Government as Special Representative. During his first visit to the State from November 6 to 11, he had met Governor NN Vohra and Mehbooba here.
Meanwhile, Governor N N Vohra and Sharma discussed significant geopolitical developments in the region since latter’s last visit to the State.
During his visit to Jagti Kashmiri Pandit migrant township, which lasted more than three hours, Sharma met number of delegations of the migrants to listen to their problems.
His visit to Jagti migrant camp assumed significances as it comes just a day after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs rejected that there was any proposal with the Ministry for constructing townships for the migrants in the Kashmir valley.
Representatives of Kashmiri Pandits, who met Dineshwar Sharma, later told the Excelsior that he was very positive to the demands and problems raised by the migrant community. He reportedly described the Pandits as major stakeholders for any solution to Kashmir problem saying the Centre was committed to their dignified and honourable return to the Valley and till then providing them all facilities here.
Some of the major demands raised by the Kashmiri Pandit representatives of Jagti with the Special Representative included setting up of three townships for Kashmir Pandits in the Valley, no release of 4500 stone pelters as proposed by Centre and State on recommendations of the Interlocutor, inquiry into the killings of their community members, leading to their mass exodus from the Valley, right to vote by including all eligible migrants in the electoral lists, increase in relief, more facilities to them at the migrant colonies, passing of Temple Shrines Bill in the Legislature, implementation of employment package, one time settlement and their involvement in any permanent solution to Jammu and Kashmir problem. They lamented that even after 28 years of migration, the Government was indifferent towards the Kashmiri Pandit migrants while it was sympathetic towards stone pelters, who had taken law into their own hands.
Some of the migrant delegations took strong exception to the MHA reply that there was no proposal for construction of townships for the migrants in Kashmir, which was today exclusively reported by the Excelsior. They said this was betrayal by the Centre with Kashmiri migrants, who wanted townships for them in the Valley. The Kashmiri Pandits also raised number of other demands with the Interlocutor, listed in the memorandums submitted to him.
In a brief chat with media persons at Jagti migrants’ township, Dineshwar said he met number of Kashmiri Pandit delegations and listened to their problems. However, he didn’t elaborate.
Major organizations which called on the Special Representative included Panun Kashmir headed by Ashwani Chrungoo, National Conference led by Vijay Bakaya, former MLC, All Migrant Camps Coordination Committee led by Pintoo Ji, Jagti Migrant Welfare Committee, Jagti Tenement Committee led by Shadi Lal, BJP headed by Chand Ji Bhat and TN Bhat, AK Raina of All India Kashmiri Samaj, TN Koul of TRT (Two Room Tenements) Muthi, Daya Krishan from Purkhoo, Bittu Ji of TRT Nagrota, Ashok Sidha from PDP, Bansi Lal Pandita, Piarray Lal Thusoo, Roshan Lal Raina, Sunil Pandita, Kaka Ji Bhan and TK Dhar, all from Jagti
Dineshwar Sharma is scheduled to meet a number of delegations tomorrow.
Sources said during his visit to Kashmir from November 26-29, Dineshwar Sharma is keen to meet parents who’ve appealed to their newly-recruited children to leave militancy and return to the mainstream and details are being worked out, but the meeting will happen only if the parents want.
The Centre’s Special Representative will meet anyone who wants to address grievances, including parents of misguided youth or the ex-militant(s).
“But it will depend on their desire to meet him,” sources said.
Sources said Sharma is open to meeting Majid Khan – a footballer-turned-militant who recently surrendered – to understand him.
Sources said that Sharma will also meet people who came from West Pakistan immediately after partition in 1947 and settled in Jammu. There are nearly three lakh such people.
Besides, he will meet the people displaced from their homes in border villages to understand their plight and ensure that they are properly rehabilitated.
The high point of his visit, sources said, will be his interactions with youths and students in Pulwama and Anantnag.
The districts were the epicenters of unrest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen’s poster boy Burhan Wani on July 8 last year.
Pulwama also earned the notorious distinction of being the nerve centre of militancy with anti-insurgency operations being launched on a war footing in the area.
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