Two legislators and a former minister Wednesday said that they put forth four demands before government of India appointed interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma to create a conducive atmosphere for meaningful dialogue on Kashmir.While addressing a joint press conference held here by Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, Ghulam Hassan Mir and Hakim Muhammad Yasin here, Tarigami said they told interlocutor that Prime Minister of India should assure people of J&K that Article 370 and Article 35-A will be safeguarded, adding, “PM should issue a statement on the floor of the Parliament of India in this regard.”The trio held a joint press conference soon after meeting the interlocutor.“Our another demand was that cases of political leaders detained in various jails within and outside J&K should be reviewed. Political prisoners should be released. Cases of detenues under PSA should be reviewed at the earliest and steps taken should be taken for their release,” he added.He said that they also demanded that cases against the youth pertaining to the present unrest be withdrawn, adding “And our fourth demand was that undue harassment of the youth should be stopped forthwith.”“The problem needs a lasting solution which is possible only through serious credible and meaningful dialogue with all the stake holders. Unfortunately serious efforts have not been made to address this sensitive issue so far,” he added.
“Even now when this new initiative has been taken by GOI, various contradictory voices which are emerging from different power centres are adding to the already existing confusion and disillusionment,” he added.“The present unprecedented unrest is the direct result of the massive and deep alienation. If this alienation is left un-addressed, things will go from bad to worse and again add to the miseries of the common people. The Kashmir imbroglio is essentially political in nature and as such needs political solution. We firmly believe that neither coercion nor violence is the option. It is not just a matter of belief only it is the lesson of history as well,” he said.He said that they told the interlocutor that saner voices from different segments of society in the state and outside have been time and again demanding initiation of a meaningful and sustainable process of dialogue. Now when the GOI has appointed its representative as interlocutor, it must be seen a serious one.He added that it was also impressed upon the government not to ignore Kashmir has become a big human tragedy and it is in the very psyche of Kashmiris that the power holding quarters are indifferent to the pain and sufferings of the people.“This deep rooted feeling has to be erased and washed off and for that a credible judicial institution must be constituted to probe into the acts of human rights violations,” he said.He said that the trio reiterated their position that Kashmir was a long pending complex issue which has generated untold sufferings and miseries for the people of the entire state in general and for the residents of Kashmir in particular. (CNS)