Srinagar
The Centre’s special representative for Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, on Wednesday called on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah at his residence here to discuss the situation in the state.
Sharma, who is on a five-day visit of the state, also met CPM leader MY Tarigami, who represents south Kashmir’s Kulgam constituency in the Assembly.
“We discussed the prevailing situation in the state, as also steps that can be taken to make his visits to the state more meaningful,” Abdullah said after the meeting.
Senior leader of the ruling PDP, Sartaj Madni, who is Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s maternal uncle, will meet Sharma later in the afternoon.
On his engagements so far, Sharma said his meetings had gone well.
“I met a lot of people. I wish that peace returns to Kashmir very soon and a political solution also comes as quickly as possible,” he added.
He said he would try to meet separatist leaders as part of government’s efforts to resolve the issues facing the state.
“I will try my best,” Sharma told reporters when asked if he would go an extra mile to meet the Hurriyat Conference leaders.
The Joint Resistance Forum, a conglomerate of three separatist organisations—the hardline and moderate factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF—had announced that they would not meet with him and dubbed his appointment a “time-buying tactic” of the Centre.
Sharma, the former director of the Intelligence Bureau, is spending three days in the Valley. On Thursday, he travels to Jammu, where he will hold talks with Governor NN Vohra, the Chief Minister and various delegations.
