Former External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha Tuesday said that the representative, Dineshwar Sharma, appointed by Government of India to hold dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir should send a written invitation to Hurriyat leaders to participate in the dialogue process rather than giving press statements on them. Sinha said that appointment of Sharma is a positive development and he should give a timeframe of completing his dialogue process than making it indefinite. “Dineshwar Sharma has expressed his desire to talk to the Hurriyat, but that should be followed by Mr Sharma by sending a written invitation to Hurriyat leaders to meet them at a certain time and place. Only giving press statements will not do,” Sinha told.
Then he should see how the Hurriyat will respond. My own recommendation will be that if Hurriyat receives a written invitation then they should respond positively and talk to the representative, “he said. Hurriyat leaders have rejected the dialogue process that has been initiated by Sharma by visiting for five days to the state where he met major political leaders and dozens of delegations. Sinha said that GoI must assure the people say from time to time that it will take the recommendations of the representative seriously and act upon them. “There is a doubt,” he said about the earlier interlocutions and their reports on Kashmir submitted to the centre. “Let’s try and give one more opportunity to the interlocutor of this government. We should give the representative the time and hopefully something good comes out of it,” he said. He said that nobody in Government of India or Government of Jammu and Kashmir or political and civil society should try to wreck this initiative. “It should be allowed through,” he said. “Also, the representative should tell people of Jammu and Kashmir that he will complete his job of talks to people and making his recommendations within a certain time limit and it should not be indefinite,” he said, adding that giving time-frame will wade off the allegations that Hurriyat has levelled that “it is only buying time and nothing will come out”. Sinha had led a “concerned citizens” group to Kashmir last year after unrest supported and had pressed for “multi-dimensional dialogue” with Hurriyat and has asked the government to improve human rights situation. Speaking about his impression while talking to Hurriyat leaders during his visits, Sinha said that Hurriyat had agreed to join dialogue which is without pre-conditions. (KNS)