Jammu: The Centre`s interlocutors on Sunday
said that they have not prepared any draft which recommends
grant of "pre-53 status" to Jammu and Kashmir, insisting that
their report would contain "all major viewpoints".
"All we can say is that we have not prepared any
draft as yet nor there is one ready to be submitted in the
near future on these lines (grant of pre-1953 status to Jammu
and Kashmir)," head of the three-member panel of interlocutors
Dileep Padgaonkar told reporters here.
He was replying to a volley of questions about media
reports claiming that an interim report to be submitted to
government favours grant of pre-1953 status to Jammu and
Kashmir, which will empower the state to take decisions on all
matters except Defence, External Affairs and Communication,
beside other privileges.
Discounting the reports, Padgaonkar said, "We have not
made any recommendations nor is there any particular
recommendation in our mind unless we speak to all the people.
Our report would be comprehensive and containing all major
viewpoints".
On the issue of most of the separatists leaders
keeping away from talks, Padgaonkar said, "Though efforts are
on to bring separatists to the dialogue table. But if still,
the exercise remains futile, the interim report has to be
submitted to the Government of India excluding them."
The visit by the interlocutors saw breaking of ice
with separatists with former Hurriyat chairman Moulvi Abbas
Ansari meeting them in Srinagar on Wednesday for which he was
suspended from the amalgam.
The interlocutors met over 50 delegations during their
fortnight-long visit to the Kashmir Valley, Doda, Kishtwar and
Jammu areas of the state.
"We have met sections of society during our visits
and got to know about facts and figures on J&K situation but
at the behest of one section, the report prepared so far,
cannot be delayed and has to be submitted with the authorities
concerned," he said.
"We interacted with more than 50 delegations from all
parts of the erstwhile Doda district and the issues they
discussed with us included social and economic backwardness of
the inhabitants due to the fact that the vast region`s
enormous natural wealth is yet to be completely tapped,"
Padgaonkar said.
The people, however, stressed the need for effective,
constitutionally guaranteed devolution of political, financial
and administrative powers to all the three regions of the
state and a further devolution at all levels, he said.
The interlocutors said in the coming days
inter-regional roundtable conferences would also be conducted
in all the three regions.
Padgaonkar along with academician Radha Kumar and
former Information Commissioner MM Ansari were appointed by
the Centre in October last year.
PTI
