Addressing radicalisation is top challenge in Kashmir, says new interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma

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JAMMU: India's biggest challenge is to deradicalise youth and militants, and preventing the Valley from turning into Syria, said Dineshwar Sharma, the newly appointed government interlocutor leading talks in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am worried about the people of Kashmir. If all this picked up, the situation will be like Yemen, Syria and Libya. People will start fighting in so many groups. So, it is very important that everybody, all of us, contribute so that suffering of Kashmiris end," said Sharma.

His plan is to talk to anybody and everybody – beginning from roadside vendors to the youth – in order to end violence.

He further plans to convince the Kashmiri youth that they are ruining their future in the name of whether they call it azadi, Islamic caliphate or Islam.

On October 23, Intelligence Bureau director Dineshwar Sharma was appointed as the special interlocutor for sustained dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir, which has seen a rise in insurgency in recent years.

"It is a big responsibility. I hope I live up to expectations," Dineshwar Sharma said after his appointment.

Over the last one year, violence has escalated in the Valley since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Incidents of stone-pelting mobs including women and children clashing with security forces have increased.