Dineshwar to visit J&K from Nov 6

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: Centre Government’s Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma is set to embark on first five-day visit to the State from November 6 during which he was likely to cover Kashmir and Jammu regions, leaving Ladakh for the next trip.
His first-visit to the State as Centre’s Special Representative could last five days, three of which are likely to be spent in Kashmir and two in Jammu as seat of the Government, the Civil Secretariat, will start functioning in Jammu, the winter capital of the State, also from November 6.
Sources told the Excelsior that some senior officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) especially those Incharge of Jammu and Kashmir desk could accompany Dineshwar Sharma during his visit to the State.
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According to sources, Dineshwar Sharma, a retired Director of the Intelligence Bureau, who has been given rank of the Cabinet Secretary as Special Representative of Jammu and Kashmir, was likely to spend four days in Kashmir and two in Jammu.
“The Special Representative could travel to some interior areas to inter-act with common people,” sources said, adding that his itinerary include meetings with Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and other political leaders of the State.
Asserting that Dineshwar Sharma’s first visit was likely to be just a beginning of the dialogue with stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said the maiden visit of the Interlocutor could set the stage for way forward in achieving breakthrough in the dialogue.
Significantly, the day Dineshwar Sharma would land in Kashmir (November 6), the Civil Secretariat would re-open in Jammu the same day.
Sources said both Centre and State Governments have mobilized their resources to facilitate dialogue between Dineshwar Sharma and the stakeholders and “encouraging results” were expected after his couple of visits to the State.
In Srinagar, Dineshwar Sharma is expected to meet various political leaders, student groups and youths.
The former Intelligence Bureau chief has already listed that in his new role, he would like to counter false sloganeering and propaganda available online and ensure that the youth and students become a party in the peace process.
“I am going to the Valley with no blinkers on. I am willing to meet every common person who has a genuine grievance,” he said.
The 1979-batch IPS officer of the Kerala cadre, who rose to the prestigious post of the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, was recently appointed as the Centre’s representative for sustained dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir.
Hailing from Bihar, Sharma has said that he has an emotional attachment with Kashmir as it was his first field posting way back in 1992.
The Joint Resistance Forum, a conglomerate of three separatist organizations — the hardline and moderate factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF — had announced earlier this week that they would not meet Sharma and dubbed his appointment a “time-buying tactic” of the Centre.
The National Conference, the State’s main opposition party, also feels that the exercise of meeting Sharma may not yield much results in the view of the statements made by Central leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had flayed talks of Kashmir’s autonomy.
However, senior party leaders feel that the Government should send Sharma with a clear mind whether the entire process was for ensuring peace in the valley or simply a time-pass.

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