Srinagar: Centre’s representative to Jammu & Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma, who arrived here on Monday on a five-day visit, met nine delegations to get a direct feel of the Kashmir crisis. Sharma will be visiting Jammu on Thursday for two days.
The valley’s trade and commerce bodies, besides the separatist, said they were boycotting the Central representative; yet, mainstream politicians including MLA Yousuf Taregami of CPM, and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) chief and independent MLA Hakeem Yasin, as well as former minister and Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) G H Mir will meet Sharma on November 8 at Hari Niwaz. State Congress chief G A Mir-led delegation too is scheduled to meet the representative on Wednesday.
Opposition National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah termed Sharma’s appointment as a “waste of time”. Leading trade bodies too stayed away from dialogue saying the previous interlocutors and their reports had proved futile.
Apart from KCIF, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Houseboat Owners Association of Kashmir, and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Federation refused to meet Sharma despite invitation from the divisional administration. Javed Tenga of KCCI said, “We got a telephone call from divisional administration about meeting Sharma. KCCI decided not to meet him as earlier interlocutors were meaningless and without outcome.”
Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) chief Mohammad Ashraf Mir said the traders have a “limited role” confined to the economy of the state. Mir also happens to be a member of several PSUs including Jammu & Kashmir Bank.
Sharma, a former IB Chief, will eventually meet around 60 delegations. Sources said on the first day, around nine delegations or individuals met him. These include Youth Sports Forum Qamarwari, City FM owner Tariq Bhat, Students Association of Engineering college at Pattan, Youth Sports Fraternity led by Muhammad Yousuf, Gujar Association led by Muhammad Yousuf Poswal, Peace Forum Ganderbal led by Peer Yousuf, Youth Forum Kupwara, Fruit and Saffron Growers’ Assoc president Mohammad Yousuf .
