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Things looking up in south Kashmir, says interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma
South Kashmir has emerged as a hotbed of militancy ever since mass protests erupted here in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani’s death in July 2016.
The situation in south Kashmir has improved slightly in recent times, the Centre’s interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir said on Friday.
Dineshwar Sharma has already covered Anantnag and Kulgam since he launched his tour of the region from Shopian district on Thursday. “Hume mahool thoda better laga (things look a little better now),” he said, when asked how the situation on the ground when compared to his last visit in November.
South Kashmir has emerged as a hotbed of militancy ever since mass protests erupted here in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani’s death in July 2016.
The Centre had appointed Sharma, a former director of the Intelligence Bureau, to “initiate and carry forward a dialogue” in Kashmir last October. The move was part of an initiative to alleviate the age-old unrest festering in the state.
Since then, the interlocutor has visited the state a number of times and met dozens of delegations. Some initiatives, including the withdrawal of cases against first-time stone-pelters, were taken on his advice.
Sharma met some delegations at the Kulgam deputy commissioner’s office on Friday. They included members of a mainstream political party, some lawyers and a group of fruit growers.
Sharma had toured some parts of south Kashmir, one of the most politically sensitive regions in the Valley, during his last visit too.
