|
Kashmir : Talks with Hurriyat |
 |
B.I. Saini
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s announcement that the Centre has no objection to permitting Hurriyat leaders to visit Pakistan, if they apply in the proper format, is expected to remove one major obstacle in the way of resumption of talks with separatist groups of Jammu and Kashmir. The moderate faction of the Hurriyat had said that the talks with the Centre could be resumed only after its leaders visited Pakistan to consult the separatist leaders living there. The Home Minister has made it clear that the Centre is prepared for talks with all groups without any preconditions.
The Centre has been preparing the ground for resumption of talks with the Hurriyat by sending intermediaries, official and non-official, to the Kashmir Valley to sound the separatist leaders on the issue. Wajahat Habibullah who had earlier helped the then NDA government to initiate talks with the Hurriyat is one of the persons roped in by the UPA government for the purpose. Another person, Amar Singh Dulat, who established contact with separatist leaders has also visited Srinagar and met several leaders belonging to the Hurriyat as well as other groups.
While the Centre has shown its keenness to resume the talks with the Hurriyat and other groups, it is also taking other steps to improve the situation in the state. Home Minister Patil at his Press conference in Srinagar gave expression to the Centre’s strong view that political and economic initiatives had to go hand in hand to bring about a change in the situation. He said the Centre will do its best to enable the Kashmiris to make full use of the state’s potential in various sectors. The Centre’s efforts to improve the economy of the state are expected to get further momentum when the Prime Minister pays a two-day visit to the state from November 17. He is expected to announce an economic package for the state which will make it realise its potential in various sectors such as tourism. Under schemes announced by the earlier Vajpayee Government, rapid progress is being made on the project to link the Kashmir valley by rail with the rest of the country. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be inaugurating the Jammu-Udhampur segment of the rail link during his visit.
The completion of the rail link upto Srinagar will give a tremendous boost to the fruit and tourism sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. It will make it much easier and cheaper for tourists from all parts of the country to go to the Kashmir valley. It will also allow owners of orchards in Kashmir to carry their produce speedily and safely to the major consuming centres in the country. At present, the produce has to traverse a long distance, especially the 300 km. long Jammu-Srinagar highway before it can be sent further to major centres like Delhi.
The rift between the moderate and the hardline factions of the Hurriyat is a major factor which is holding up talks with the Centre. One hopeful sign is that even Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have advised the Hurriyat factions to come together. But the chances of the two main Hurriyat factions coming together are rather bleak at present. The Centre has shown its sincerity and keen-ness to resume the dialogue with the Hurriyat. The responsibility for resumption of the dialogue is now squarely upon the Hurriyat.
|
