Abid Bashir
SRINAGAR: Asserting that Hurriyat holds the key to any dialogue with the stake holders of Kashmir dispute, the interlocutors Sunday said the framework for the political settlement can be framed within six to nine months after threadbare discussion with all shades of opinion. Two interlocutors– academician Radha Kumar and former information commissioner M M Ansari- also said engaging Pakistan for finding a ‘permanent solution’ to Kashmir was a necessity.
“It is too early to arrive at a conclusion. We will meet all shades of opinion across the State. As far as the dialogue with the stake holder is concerned, Hurriyat is the key. We hope to talk to Hurriyat people also,” Radha Kumar told Rising Kashmir on sidelines of a press conference.
She said it would take them six to nine months to come up with the ‘framework or roadmap’ for finding a political solution to Kashmir dispute. “In the first leg of our visit, we met various sections of society in Srinagar and Jammu. During our second visit, we visited Ladakh and Kashmir.”
Radha said the Kashmir panel will spend December and January in various districts of Jammu. “There is wide diversity of views in Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu. We anticipate there will be different opinions about the would-be solution,” she said adding consensus can be achieved only through dialogue.
On Pakistan’s role, she said it is a “necessity” to engage the neighbouring country for finding a permanent solution to the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The year Pakistan got engaged with India, we saw considerable improvement on ground. We were close to Kashmir solution. We would like to see India-Pakistan dialogue process re-start from the point it was left off,” Radha said.
Earlier addressing media persons, she said they have submitted the report of their first visit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and chief minister Omar Abdullah.
However, Radha refused to share the contents of report with the media.
“Our priority is to see what could be the political settlement of Kashmir dispute. There is a universal agreement that everyone wants political settlement of the issue. And it would be better to achieve it sooner than later,” she said.
She said people have asserted that solution to the Kashmir problem can’t be achieved without changes on ground.
Asked why the third member of the panel, Dileep Padgaonkar skipped second visit to the state, Radha said, “He has gone out of country to see his grandson, whom he has not met since last one year.”
She evaded response when told that scores of prisoners are languishing in various prisons and they have not seen their family members for years.
Asked whether Kashmir was a dispute as mentioned by them earlier, she said, “We stand by what we said.”
About release of political prisoners, she said the release of political detainees is must for change in the ground situation.
She said they have requested the government to provide a list of people detained in different jails in and outside the state and local police station. “We still await the list.”