Kashmir interlocutor: Give peace a chance, BJP state unit tells all stakeholders

BJP state unit’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi stressed that the solution to the problem in the Valley had to be within the Constitution.

Welcoming the appointment of former IB chief Dineshwar Sharma as the Centre’s special representative in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Tuesday asked all stakeholders to “give peace a chance”.

Kashmiris run for cover as police use tear gas to disperse them during a protest over increasing braid chopping incidents in many parts of Kashmir, in Srinagar, on October 16, 2017. (AP)

All stakeholders must come forward to meet the central interlocutor and put their points across, said the BJP state unit’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi.

Violence and the culture of separatism had destroyed the economy and peace of the region, he added, asking stakeholders to avail of the opportunity to usher in peace.

The vast majority of the population in Kashmir was yearning for peace for the sake of the future of their children, Sethi said.

“The atmosphere in the Valley has been deliberately vitiated for personal and political gains which has caused immense loss to the Kashmiri culture of peaceful coexistence,” he said in a statement.

“The land of saints and rishis has been spoilt... and time has come to wash it clean again,” he added.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday announced Sharma’s appointment for a “sustained dialogue” with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sharma would have complete independence in deciding who to hold talks with, Singh said.

He said this in response to a question on whether Sharma would hold talks with the separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Sharma would initiate sustained dialogue to understand the legitimate aspirations of people, especially the youth, and try to fulfil them, the minister had said.