J&K: Centre may finally accede to all-party visit

Centre may finally agree to send an all-party delegation to Jammu and and Kashmir to find a way out of the prevailing situation in the Valley. Prime Minister Modi said on Sunday that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as separatists.

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at his monthly radio-programme Maan Ki Baat that he wanted to approach the issue with compassion, his close aides Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh and BJP president Amit Shah went into a huddle to decide on the logistics of  an all-party visit. According to well-placed sources, the delegation may visit the Valley in first week September.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in an interview to a news agency said that she was even open to talks with separatists if they were held within the framework of the Constitution. Mehbooba said, “Today there is no alternative to dialogue, but for dialogue (to happen), you need to have a conducive atmosphere.” Whosoever is ready to reject violence and help in restoring peace should be engaged in a dialogue to address the Kashmir problem, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday while not being averse to involving separatists if they were looking for a peaceful resolution.

Mufti, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the future course of action, also emphasised that the format of dialogue should be an improvement on the past when the central governments had nominated interlocutors and set up working groups. She said that “threads” needed to be picked up from those left by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had made a “very serious effort” by having dialogue both on external front with Pakistan and on internal front with Hurriyat and Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

“The previous UPA government as well as the NC-Congress government in the state “could not pick up the threads that Vajpayee had left and then there was a vaccuum and disillusionment”, she said. She said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also wanted to find some solution to Kashmir and wished to go to Pakistan but could not go there “for whatever reasons.”

Setting the tone for mollification of protestors in the Valley, Prime Minister earlier on Sunday said, “Any life lost in Kashmir is a loss for the nation.” 

Expressing deep concern and pain over the violence in Kashmir, Modi said those who were using children to create unrest in Kashmir, “have to answer those children some day.” In a fresh bid to reach out to people of the valley, Prime Minister said ‘Ekta’ (unity) and ‘Mamata’ (love) were the basic mantras for addressing the Kashmir problem even as he slammed those promoting violence.

The Government is also all set to announce a Rs 2000 crore  package for displaced people from Pakistan occupied Kashmir, PoK, living in the country. This comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overtures to the people of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Official sources said the Home Ministry is expected to place the details of the package before the Union Cabinet for approval soon. The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified 36,348 families for distribution of the package. Under the scheme, each family will get around  Rs 5.5 lakh.