Mixed reactions to all-party delegation's call for talks, halt

The all-party parliamentary delegation's call for a halt to violence in Kashmir and start of a dialogue with "all stakeholders" evoked mixed reactions today with opposition National Conference saying it cannot lay claim to a "single achievement" but some others terming it as "significant".

Immediately after the resolution was adopted at a meeting of the members of the delegation that visited the troubled state recently, Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, "I'm struggling to find a single achievement that the all party delegation can lay claim to after visiting J&K. Nothing comes to mind as yet!"

He said if the delegation had to issue just an appeal, it could have done it without visiting the Valley. "If all they had to do was issue this tame & sterile appeal they could very easily have done so without wasting the time and money on a visit," Omar said after the delegation released a statement on its two-day visit to Kashmir.
 

"75 people have died, 1000s of civilians & security personnel have been injured and there is no sense of urgency in getting a grip on things!" he added.

CPM leader M Y Tarigami, however, termed the call for holding talks with all stakeholders as "significant".

"This is very significant and must be appreciated and encouraged. Government must take follow up action and constitute a committee of senior parliamentarians to initiate the dialogue process with all stakeholders which includes separatists," he said, adding "it brooks no delay".

However, he cautioned the Centre against trying to "browbeat" the separatist leadership by make statements on withdrawal of security. "It does not contribute to creating a conducive atmosphere for talks," he said.

State Congress Chief G A Mir, while appreciating the decision of the all-party delegation to hold talks with all stakeholders, said besides this there was nothing for them to offer.

The delegation has failed in giving a concrete roadmap for ending the stalemate that has been engulfing the state for over two months now, he said.

The state government's spokesman Naeem Akhtar welcomed the resolution, saying "We have been pressing for holding dialogue and I am glad that it has been accepted by the all-party delegation.