New Delhi: The Lok Janshakti Party has
expressed disappointment over Centre's choice of interlocutors
for dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir.
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who had visited the state
as part of an all-party delegation sent there by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh last month, had demanded that the
government should involve senior politicians to initiate the
process of dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Instead, the government has appointed an academic, a
journalist and an administrator as interlocutors. It has
deeply disappointed the people of Jammu and Kashmir," party
Secretary General Abdul Khaliq said.
He said that the government must nominate senior and
credible politicians as interlocutors.
Khaliq said that the LJP chief had during his visit to
the state taken the "initiative of breaking ice with the
Hurriyat leaders" and his efforts were aimed at "involving
separatists into political dialogue" with the government.
The party's reaction came two days after the Centre
named three interlocutors-- eminent journalist Dilip
Padgaonkar, Information Commissioner M M Ansari and noted
academician Radha Kumar-- to hold talks with all shades of
opinion including the separatists in Jammu and Kashmir as part
of efforts to bring peace in the state.
The decision to appoint a set of interlocutors was taken
at the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime
Mamohan Singh on September 25.
PTI
First Published: Friday, October 15, 2010, 21:37