Interlocutors for unconditional release of political detenues

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Oct 27: Calling for immediate and unconditional release of all incarcerated separatist leaders and youths arrested for stone pelting, four-member panel of interlocutors today hinted at amending the Indian constitution to resolve over six-decade old Kashmir
imbroglio.

Interacting with media persons at Srinagar’s Circuit House after concluding four-day visit to Kashmir, head of interlocutors’ panel, Dilip Padgaokar, admitted the ‘important role” of separatists in resolving the Kashmir issue.

“We are ready to hold talks with them if and when they wish,” he said. Padgaonkar, however, asserted that the panel “cannot end up at their (separatists’) doors”.

“Since they refused to hold dialogue with us, we cannot force them for talks,” he said.

Stating that the panel would submit its report to Prime Minister, manmohan Singh, within 10 days, Padgaonkar said that there was ample scope in Indian constitution to discuss the five-point proposal of Syed Ali Geelani and four-point proposal of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Padgoankar also wished to take leaders of Pakistan-administered Kashmir on board to find the permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.

"We would like to visit PoK to talk to the leadership there to get their point of view on the issue," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, female member of the panel, Radha Kumar, said that the panel could recommend for the amendments in the Indian constitution to “accommodate the discussions on the Kashmir issue and to find the solution to the problem”.

"Indian constitution is a beautiful document and there is room for modification with changing times and we can even recommend for the amendments in the constitution to accommodate the discussions on the Kashmir issue and to find the solution to the problem in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiris," she said.

Pertinently, the three-member panel- Dilip Padgaonkar, MM Ansari and Radha Kumar- is likely to undertake visit to the state every month. At the end of its first visit, the panel is expected to recommend several measures to be taken by New Delhi to restore peace in the region.

The panel hinted at recommending the amendments in the Public Safety Act (PSA) and asked for release of political detenues. The panel also asked New Delhi to allow the peaceful protests in the valley “in line with democratic temperament of the country” Padgaonkar questioned the logic for imposing section 144 CrPC against holding peaceful protests in the valley.

"There is no need of imposing section 144 to quell the assembly of the people for peaceful demonstrations," he added.

During the two-hour long interaction, both the sides discussed the current political unrest in the valley. The mediapersons apprised the panel about the hardships they faced during the recent unrest.

“So many journalists were mercilessly beaten by forces. They didn’t not even honour the special curfew passes issued to the media persons by the government,” they said. “The forces did everything to put restrictions on media.”

The journalists told the panel that they had to suffer due to lack of coordination between civil and police adminstration in the valley.

The journalists fraternity also apprised the panel about the media gag imposed by the state government in recent past during which local news papers failed to hit the stands for several days.

Blaming New delhi for failing to meet the promise made to the successive state governments, the journalists said that New Delhi had not been serious enough to address the Kashmir issue.

“That is one of the reasons for worsening situation in the state,” they said.

They said when Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference government passed the Autonomy resolution in the state assembly, New Delhi cosigned it to the dustbin without even reading it.

“When Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the chief minister of the state he got Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road opened after several decades,” they said. “However, confidence building measure were not carried forward.”

Referring to the setting up of five working groups on Kashmir by Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the journalists said that they were left mid-way and their recommendation were never implemented.

The journalists asked New Delhi to first restore the confidence of the mainstream leaders in Kashmir and then talk of holding dialogue with the separatists.

The journalists who met the delegation included Ehsan Fazili of Tribune, Khurshid Wani of Pioneer, Saleem Pandit of Times of India, Masood Hussain of Economic Times, Bashir Malik of Doordarshan, Mufti Islah of CNN-IBN, Jehangir Ahmad PTI, Shafat Ahmad of Headlines Today,
Idrees Lone of News X, Asif Qureshi of Star News, Mansoor Mir of India TV, Manoj Kaul of E-TV, Shafkat Bukhari of Kashmir Horison and Javed Malik of Greater Kashmir.