Apolitical engagement for resolving the most complicated Kashmir issue hovering over the horizon of Indian sub continent is as usual the way of engagement of central government’s Kashmir special representative Dineshwar Sharma. Stunning is the claim of the government about the meeting of Kashmir special representative Dineshwar on the first day of his three day visit to valley in Srinagar and know the stake holders who government claims met Dineshwar Sharma on the first day of his official visit—–they are 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 . Though even a single association or individual in the aforementioned official list is not even remotely connected to the resistance struggle or mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir but yet again Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti pins hopes on the political engagement of Dineshwar Sharma and her trusted cabinet colleague Nayeem Akhter that Sharma’s engagement process would be “dialogue with difference”. Though interlocutors in yesteryears were fortunate enough to see leaders of top mainstream political parties joining the engagement process from the very first day but even people from the mainstream show their reluctance in joining the engagement process kick started by Dineshwar Sharma with his three day stay in Srinagar as was indicated by National Conference President and three time former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah who said “I have very little expectation with the task Dinshewar Sharma has been given for dialogue in Jammu & Kashmir. General impressing brewing among the top mainstream parties including the main opposition National Conference and the Congress party is that dialogue with the separatist leadership can only make the difference as talks with the mainstream were held with mainstream by both Prime Minister and the Home Minister but did not made any difference to the situation on ground in Kashmir.
After all even naives believe that only talks with the separatists can make any difference as talks with the mainstream and non political associations already showing pro government tendencies won’t bring any change in the situation on ground as has been experienced in the past. Now it is for Dineshwar Sharma to change the course of his engagement in Kashmir for the purposes of proving his sponsors rights who say “Sharmas’s engagement in Kashmir would be dialogue with a difference”.
Instead of showing willingness to meet very lesser known associations and individual not even remotely connected with the increasing resentment in Kashmir the newly appointed Kashmir special representative should have preferred to knock the doors of three top separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and Mohmmad Yaseen Malik. After all even naives believe that only talks with the separatists can make any difference as talks with the mainstream and non political associations already showing pro government tendencies won’t bring any change in the situation on ground as has been experienced in the past. Now it is for Dineshwar Sharma to change the course of his engagement in Kashmir for the purposes of proving his sponsors rights who say “Sharmas’s engagement in Kashmir would be dialogue with a difference”.
