After experiencing all the military methods to improve situation in Kashmir valley the Narendra Modi led BJP government at the centre has finally appointed an interlocutor for political engagement with all stake holders in Jammu & Kashmir. Keeping in view the past experiences of political engagement though interlocutors and dialogue panels the people in Jammu & Kashmir are for right reasons showing no enthusiasm in the appointment interlocutor for talks with stakeholders in Jammu & Kashmir. Appointing a retired top intelligence official an interlocutor for the purposes of political engagement to resolve a multilaterally complicated issue like Kashmir does not show the seriousness of the incumbent central government for a serious political engagement in Kashmir. Engagement with an intelligence official would be acceptable to resistance leadership in Kashmir if the issue would have been concerning the restoration of law and order. Since the issue is purely political and deserves a political settlement the Modi government in Delhi should have appointed a widely acceptable politician of impartial integrity as the interlocutor in Jammu & Kashmir. Several concerned citizens of civil society groups including the one headed by Yashwant Sinha the estranged BJP leader and former Union Finance Minister but the Modi government for the reasons of its own political conveniences did not bother to grant official recognition to Sinha led group of concerned citizens of the country. Yashwant Sinha led group having already conducted several rounds of talks with the top separatist leaders could have been the most acceptable dialogue panel in the current political scenario in Jammu & Kashmir but Modi government instead of giving the group the much needed official recognition virtually snubbed Sinha during the last one month over host of issues including current crisis in Kashmir. Owning a retired top intelligence official and disowning his own party veteran like Yashwant Sinh over an issue of national importance like Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows the non-seriousness of the incumbent central government on dialogue in Kashmir.
Even Home Minister Rajnath Singh has shown the non seriousness of the Modi government on Kashmir by saying “ it is for Dineshwar Sharma to decide to whom he should talk” and these words of Rajnath Singh are sufficient enough to indicate that the incumbent government wants to buy time by undertaking a directionless dialogue process in Jammu & Kashmir state.
None else than Chief Minister Mehbooba have openly welcomed the appointment of former Intelligence Chief Dineshwar Sharma as interlocutor on Kashmir and this in itself is an indication that Sharma won’t be acceptable to majority of the political groups in the states. Even Home Minister Rajnath Singh has shown the non seriousness of the Modi government on Kashmir by saying “it is for Dineshwar Sharma to decide to whom he should talk” and these words of Rajnath Singh are sufficient enough to indicate that the incumbent government wants to buy time by undertaking a directionless dialogue process in Jammu & Kashmir state.
