National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has said that the efforts of the government of India’s “special representative” for Kashmir can move forward only if his final report is tabled in the two Houses of the Parliament for discussion. He also stressed that New Delhi also needed to explain what it wished to achieve by appointing Dineshwar Sharma as its special representative for talks on Kashmir.
Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said that different voices emerging from the power corridors had reduced Sharma to a “zero even before he could start the talks.”
Abdullah, 80, stressed that he had never been against talks, but was “baffled by the lack of clarity” on the government of India’s move.
“Even before he (Sharma) was to visit the Valley, there were different voices emerging from New Delhi including that from the minister in PMO (Jitendra Singh) who said Sharma was not an interlocutor,” the former chief minister said.
Sharma’s mandate, he added, was not clear to anybody in Kashmir.
“So we are confused about what he is and what his agenda is going to be,” the Lok Sabha member told PTI here.
Asked why he did not meet Sharma, who was on a four-day visit to Kashmir last week, Abdullah replied: “I thought it’s of no use until Delhi makes it clear that he has some powers and that whatever he finally recommends will be taken up in Parliament. That is the only way forward.”
Abdullah also referred to earlier such moves.
“The past has shown that none of such efforts has been sincere. Does anyone talk about the report prepared by DileepPadgaonkar and his team, Radha Kumar and M M Ansari?”
The Congress-led UPA government had appointed the three-member team for talks in Kashmir in 2010. In 2012, it submitted its report which favoured “meaningful autonomy” for the state, while preserving its distinct diversities.
“Till date, that report has not seen the light of day. It is collecting dust in the home ministry. The best thing would have been to table that report in both the Houses of Parliament,” Abdullah said.
He was also sceptical about the success of Sharma’s mission.
“I don’t see it progressing unless the government of India makes its mind clear and gives him that authority (of tabling the report). Otherwise he will be subservient to (National Security Advisor Ajit) Doval,” he said.
Abdullah said that any effort to solve the Kashmir issue had to include Pakistan.
“When I talk about the Kashmir issue, I mean the entire Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. This is not only a developmental issue, but also a political issue, and this political issue also involves Pakistan, as a part of this state is with them.”
Unless Pakistan was taken on board, “whatever we decide with Delhi will not carry any weight”, he said.
“The skirmishes between the two countries at the border are only leading to death and destruction. This needs to be stopped,” he said.
Abdullah said that “to the best of his understanding”, granting autonomy would be “the best possible solution as it was within the provisions of the Constitution.”
“Now there are some problems as far as autonomy is concerned. We have repeatedly said we can discuss (them)…If there is anything in that autonomy report which will not (be of) benefit…We can look into them, either they (the Centre) convince us or we will convince them,” he said.
Instead of “just shutting it out”, there should be a discussion, he added.
Abdullah also made it clear that his party had said nothing against accession to the Indian Union.
“Never have we asked for azadi,” he said and recalled a statement made by former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who had once said in the Parliament that other than ‘azadi’, the sky was the limit as far as autonomy was concerned.
“Where is that sky,” asked Abdullah.
People of the state, he said, were aware of the “agenda of the BJP and RSS” of abrogating Article 370.
“But let me warn you, it will further aggravate the situation. Nobody will be here for autonomy… Everyone will shout for ‘azadi’. At that time don’t blame me,” he said.
Abdullah said that he’d had a number of meetings with Prime Minister NarendraModi.
“His speech from the Red Fort on Independence day asking all countrymen to embrace Kashmiris was a nice gesture. However, his team down below has not been translating these words into action,” he said. The Member of Parliament also requested Modi to rein in army chief Gen Bipin Rawat. “Of late, we have seen the Army chief making political statements and this practice is not good for democracy. I am sure one day the Prime Minister will ask him to focus on our borders and look after the welfare of our Army.”
If you won’t give autonomy, everyone will seek azadi: Farooq Abdullah
