New Delhi : The Congress party has questioned the ability of an interlocutor to identify and define the stakeholders in order to initiate a sustained dialogue on Kashmir issue. The Centre on Monday appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as an interlocutor for Kashmir and equipped him with all the powers to decide the stakeholders who could be part of the dialogue.
The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned Centre’s move and asked how Sharma will carry forward a dialogue with all sections of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.”How is an interlocutor going to trace the stakeholders? Home Minister should have announced yesterday itself about who are going to be the stakeholders”, he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Dineshwar Sharma, would decide whom he engages with in Kashmir. His responsibilities include initiating a sustained interaction and dialogue to understand the “legitimate aspirations” of the cross sections of society in Kashmir.
Asked if Sharma would hold talks with the Hurriyat Conference, as suggested by some state politicians, Singh said, “It depends upon him whom he talks to or engages with him.”
