Sharma will be back in the valley on 26 November and visit Mufti’s constituency and militancy-hit areas in south Kashmir.
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced that it will withdraw FIRs lodged against those charged with stone-pelting for the first time.
The move follows recommendations to the Union home ministry by the Centre’s newly-appointed interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma.
“This is just the start of the dialogue in the valley. I made recommendations after interacting with people on my first visit and they were considered by the government,” Sharma told ThePrint.
“I am paying attention to what people demand and accordingly I shall make further recommendations.”
Sources said that the state and the central government are also working on the possibility of considering cases of political prisoners.
In 2015, the release of hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam created strains between the PDP and BJP run coalition.
Sharma, who is set to begin his second visit to Jammu on 24 November, said he has also recommended ensuring 24-hour power supply in the valley. This would be a drastic change in the power supply situation in the valley.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday said the confidence building measure reaffirms the central government’s commitment to creating an atmosphere for sustained dialogue.
“It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first time offenders of stone pelting. My government had initiated the process in May 2016, but it was unfortunately stalled due to the unrest later that year,” she tweeted.
Hailing the recommendations of the interlocutor, who got a cold response on his first visit, she said, “It is encouraging that the interlocutor has started on a positive note. His recommendations are being taken seriously by both the central and state government.”
Sharma will head to Kashmir on 26 November, and this time he will visit Mufti’s constituency and militancy hit areas in South Kashmir.