New Delhi, Jun 05: After Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti emphasized on talks to save Kashmiris from bloodshed, Dineshwar Sharma, Centre’s interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir has reportedly said that level of violence in the Valley has to be brought down before political dialogue can be initiated.
In an interview to The Indian Express, he said that the biggest challenge today is to calm down the sentiments of Kashmiri youth.
He further said that convincing the youth that gun will not solve any problem but will only add to the miseries.
The former IB director raised two issues that need immediate action, according to him. He stressed that attention needs to be paid on how to prevent local youth from joining militancy and how to ensure the return of youth who have already joined.
Dineshwar made Chicken and egg analogy to explain the current situation, he said it was not important whether the situation needs to calm to begin a political dialogue or start of a political dialogue helps calm the situation but anger in the valley needs to be curtailed and violence to be brought down.
Sharma has made these remarks only days before Home Minister, Rajnath Singh’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had urged the separatists to come forward and talk with the government.
The Chief Minister had also said she cannot force the separatists but they themselves have to think and come forward to help the Kashmiri youth move forward out of stone and gun culture.
Mehbooba had stressed that mainstream parties had created an environment for Hurriyat to talk by making the Centre announce the ceasefire and offer talks to separatists. Now it was up to the Hurriyat to move forward she had said.
Asserting that Kashmir is a political issue, Mehbooba said the resolution of the Kashmir problem cannot come through military means.
She was quoted by Indian express saying, “Militancy, guns, and grenades haven’t taken the state anywhere but pushed youth of the state to distress. Dialogue is the only way forward.”
