Centre's interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma visits Shopian of South Kashmir; held talks with locals

Srinagar, February 23: The central government’s interlocutor to Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma on Thursday visited Shopian, which is the most affected area due to terrorism and held a series of meetings with the over 16 delegations including locals from all sections of society. Notably, Dineshwar Sharma is on the fifth visit of Jammu and Kashmir to carry forward the interlocution process.

 

Dineshwar Sharma met representatives of tribals, youth, hawkers and sumo drivers. He also met families of policemen who were killed recently. After meeting, Sharma said, “Everybody is desirous of peace and wants peace to return to this place.”

This is the second visit to south Kashmir where a large number of terrorist are active and many civilians were killed in the region in past one year. However, Dineshwar Sharma will visit Kulgam and Srinagar today to continue the interlocution process.

Despite Dinehswar Sharma’s frequent visits to Kashmir, top separatist leaders, civil society members and traders in Kashmir refused to meet the interlocutor during his all three visits to the valley. Earlier, in the month, Dineshwar Sharma held talks with a large number of delegations from all sections of society including the people living on the Line of Control (LoC) of the valley.

During the visit, he visited Poonch where the border people raised the demands like the construction of bunkers, increase in compensation for casualties and damages due to Pakistan shelling and firing and some other issues.

Importantly, Dineshwar Sharma is the person behind granting of amnesty to stone pelters. After his recommendation, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti announced to relieve 4237 first time stone pelters in Kashmir.

BACKGROUND:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the month of October last year said that the central government has decided to start a sustained dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, with former Intelligence Bureau director Dineshwar Sharma appointed as the Centre’s representative.

Dineshwar Sharma, a Bihar-born, Kerala-cadre Indian Police Service officer of the 1979 batch was the chief of the Intelligence Bureau. Sharma has a wide range of experience in handling separatism and insurgencies to domestic and regional politics. He has also served in a wide variety of command and staff positions in various Police, Paramilitary and Intelligence agencies.