Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah‘s first visit to Jammu & Kashmir this week comes amid speculation about the Modi government announcing dialogue between different stakeholders in the troubled state.
On his two-day visit, Shah will review security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra, but Kashmir-based political parties are expecting the minister to make a major announcement or initiate political outreach.
Political leaders told ThePrint they were hoping Shah addresses the issues that have put Kashmir in a state of crisis over the past two-three years, which have witnessed a spike in militant recruitment and violence.
While the National Conference (NC) said they wanted the home minister to hold serious discussions in Kashmir over the assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a former ally of the BJP, stated that the anger on the streets must be addressed by Shah.
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‘A lot of anger on the streets’
PDP leader Waheed Para said Shah should address the insecurities of different political groups in the state regarding the BJP’s Kashmir policy.
“No doubt, security for Amarnath Yatra is a major issue, but we are expecting the Centre to pacify the insecurities faced by Kashmiri political groups,” Para added. “There is also a lot of anger on Kashmir’s streets that needs to be addressed. A political outreach is the need of the hour and we hope the home minister works on it.”
National Conference spokesperson Imran Dar said, “Officially, the visit is about the yatra. Beyond that, we don’t know the contours of Amit Shah’s visit, but we are hoping that he holds discussions about the long-due state election.”
This month, Jammu & Kashmir completed a year without an elected government. The PDP-BJP had struck a surprise pact to lead the state government but the coalition collapsed last June as the parties failed to see eye-to-eye on several issues.
“The state has been without an elected government for far too long and this is not being taken lightly by the people of the state,” Dar added.
Shah’s visit comes days after J&K Governor Satyapal Malik said the Hurriyat Conference’s stand had softened and they were ready for talks, triggering speculation about the possibility of a new round of talks between Kashmir’s separatist leadership and New Delhi.
In response, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the moderate separatist, said, “If meaningful talks are initiated, there will be a positive response. The Hurriyat has always been in favour of talks as a means of resolution”.
Both Para and Dar said if there was a serious effort by the BJP government to initiate talks, their parties would welcome the move. “But we don’t know for sure what is happening. Who has initiated the talks or at which stage they are… How has been the response?”
‘Beyond the brief’
Both the regional parties claimed they hadn’t been approached by Shah’s office for a meeting. Leaders in the parties nevertheless said they were looking forward to meeting Shah and updating him about state happenings and aspirations of local residents.
A source in the Jammu & Kashmir People’s Movement, the political formation formed by former IAS topper Shah Faesal, as well as former Independent MLA Engineer Rashid, agreed that Shah’s visit to Kashmir should be beyond his “official brief”.
A senior home ministry source said an official announcement about a possible dialogue will be made only after some “concrete progress is made” with regards to talks with different stakeholders.
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