Kashmir interlocutors meet opposition leaders in Jammu

JAMMU - Aiming to reach out to all political parties active in Jammu and Kashmir, the three-member panel of Kashmir interlocutors appointed by the Central Government met senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu.

During the meeting, veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former Chief Information Commissioner M.M. Ansari discussed a wide range of issues to resolve the simmering unrest in Kashmir.

Expressing satisfaction over the deliberations, Padgaonkar said the meeting with BJP leaders was smooth and fruitful.

“We just had a meeting with the state leadership of the BJP. We are extremely satisfied with the discussions. We have agreed that we will meet them again, and we hope we will be meeting them when we come here,” said Padgaonkar.

Echoing similar sentiments, Jitinder Singh, BJP spokesperson in Jammu and Kashmir, revealed that both sides had discussed issues such as discrimination and delimitation in the meeting.

“We talked about the issues including the discrimination and delimitation and the interlocutor, Mr. Padgaonkar, has assured us that he would look into this. He has also conveyed to us that he has asked the central government to provide him with the latest data on the allocation of funds for various districts and provinces of the state sop that he can work on it and form an opinion,” said Singh.

The three member team will also meet a cross section of people, including mainstream political parties in Budgam District before leaving back for New Delhi on January 21.

They are expected to submit the final roadmap about the contours of solution to Kashmir issue to the Central Government next month.

The three-member panel has so far submitted a number of recommendations to the Central Government, including expediting cases of under-trials, permitting peaceful protests and releasing militants and protesters against whom there are no serious charges. (ANI)