Sach News Team visited house of senior NC leader Mr Parveen Anand for interview. He politely asked us to check his website first and then come back for interview. After viewing his website we found out he is an acknowledged political analyst who has done great work for bringing peace and normalcy in J&K.The Interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir said today that implementation of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), listed by them after their first two visits, will facilitate the process of dialogue in the State but said their ultimate task was to work out a political settlement of the problem acceptable to all three regions and communities residing within the every region.
Reaching here this morning on their third seven day visit of the State from New Delhi, Chief Interlocutor, Dileep Padgaonkar and former Central Information Commissioner M M Ansari, for the first time here acquainted themselves with security scenario prevailing in Jammu region by meeting top brass of security forces, police and administration including IGP Jammu Ashok Gupta, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Pawan Kotwal, IG BSF Siddarth Chattopadhyaya and IG CRPF Dinesh Kumar.
They also met Vice Chancellors of Jammu University and SKUAST and representatives of different student organizations.
Categorically denying the words attributed to him by a local newspaper on the State Government and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in an interview given to Channel X, Mr Padgaonkar told reporters in an informal chat on his arrival here that he has never ever uttered these words and the fact could be verified during telecast of interview tonight and repeat telecast in next few days. He also denied having favoured PDP’s self rule as a possible solution to the problem over autonomy as reported in some newspapers.
In a significant remark on the demand of troop reduction in the State, Mr Padgaonkar said: "we are convinced that anything which fulfills aspirations of the people will be done’’.
Clarifying the remarks attributed to him on favouring self rule, proposed by the opposition PDP, the Chief Interlocutor, who took most of the questions from the media persons, said they have been produced two set of documents, one the autonomy of National Conference and other the self rule of PDP.
"We haven’t passed judgment on any document. The words attributed to me that self rule is better than autonomy are totally fabricated. In fact, it is not our job to pass judgment. Our mandate is to come up with suggestions that how we can go about political settlement of the problem acceptable to all three regions and communities residing in every region’’, Mr Padgaonkar said.
His remarks came amidst reports carried by two newspapers today that he had praised the self rule document and described it as a possible solution. He was also quoted as having described Omar Abdullah Government as "inefficient and insensitive’’ saying that not even 30 per cent of Rs 6000 crore annual plan allocation has been spent so far. However, Mr Padgaonkar himself categorically denied his remarks saying that any one can watch the interview.
Both the Interlocutors will leave on a three days tour of twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri tomorrow. They will return to Jammu on December 20 and leave for Srinagar the next day where they will stay for three days before returning to New Delhi and submitting their third report to the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. Third Interlocutor Prof Radha Kumar didn’t accompany them as she was reported to be in Kabul but could join the duo later.
Mr Padgaonkar said they have made a number of suggestions and recommendations to the Centre Government after their first two visits in October and November during which they had covered all three regions of the State including hilly Leh and Kargil districts.
"The recommendations have been vetted and cleared by the Centre. Some of them pertained to the Central Government and some others to the State for implementation. Though these CBMs are not a substitute to political settlement, they would facilitate dialogue process. The State Government is looking with great sympathy at the CBMs and they are going to be implemented’’, he added.
The dialogue process between separatists and the Centre has been stalled for quite sometime now.
The Interlocutors were reported to have recommended release of separatists, some youth and stone pelters detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) during three month long unrest allowing peaceful protests by the people etc.
Regarding remarks attributed to him by a local newspaper in an interview given to Channel X, Mr Padgaonkar described them as "fabricated’’ saying he has never made them. "I have never uttered these words. The interview given by me to Syed Naqvi will be telecast tonight and repeated this week. Any one can watch the interview and see for himself what I have said. The remarks published in the paper are fabricated. You are responsible persons. You see the interview, judge it and draw your conclusion. The word mentioned in the newspaper were never ever said by me’’, he told the questioners.
He asserted that they were not here to pass judgment on the Chief Minister, the State Government or self rule. "We will focus on our mandate to evolve a broad consensus on political settlement of a situation to Jammu and Kashmir. That is our mandate also’’, he said.
To a question on setting up of "broad contours’’ for a political settlement to the decades old issue, the Chief Interlocutor said "we will visit various areas of Jammu region starting tomorrow from border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and meet cross sections of the society’’.
After the completion of seven days long third visit to the State, the Interlocutors are likely to submit the "broad contours’’ for a political settlement to the Kashmir issue.
Meanwhile, the two Interlocutors today inter-acted with the Divisional Commissioner and IGP Jammu besides IG BSF and IG CRPF collectively for about an hour.
Though the officials declined to comment on what transpired at the meeting, reliable sources said the Interlocutors wanted to know about the situation on militancy and infiltration fronts in Jammu region besides law and order situation and local assistance to the militants.
"It was a general security review. We told the Interlocutors on the number of militants killed, arrested, surrendered and those still active in Jammu region besides the situation prevailing on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) and the number of infiltration attempts made’’, sources said.
Jammu University Vice Chancellor Prof Varun Sahni and SKUAST VC Prof Mishra besides representatives of a number of student organizations including scholars of Jammu University and heads of students bodies also met the Interlocutors.
JAMMU, Dec 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today distanced himself from the WikiLeaks cable emanating from the US Embassy in Delhi relating to alleged human rights violations in Kashmir in 2005 and indirectly blamed the then Government led by opposition PDP.
"I am not getting into anything more than the fact that these transcripts or these leaks pertain to 2005. You can do your own maths as to what regime was in power at that time. All I am saying is that as far as this Government is concerned we do not condone torture. We never have, we never will," the NC leader said.
In a rare briefing with the then US envoy to India, the International Committee of the Red Cross had in 2005 expressed concern over alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and spoke about torture in detention centres, though it pointed out that the situation was much better than in the 1990s.
"I think it’s important first to put into perspective that this is a report carried by diplomats of the US Embassy based on what they might have heard from the Red Cross. Also it is important to understand that this pertains to the year 2005 and during the much-talked about healing touch regime.
"That having been said, I can only talk about this Government both at the Centre and at the State. We are determined not to allow any sort of incidents of custodial torture or any sort of breach of law," he said.
Omar also dismissed a question on whether any investigation based on the WikiLeaks cable for the incidents in 2005 would be instituted.
"Well, unless there is something specific unfortunately we have nothing to investigate. It is, as I said, is based on a cable sent by the US Embassy to their own Government in Washington. Unless there are specific instances where names are mentioned whether by Red Cross or by these WikiLeaks cables or individuals, there is nothing unfortunately for us to investigate," he said.
Omar also said that his Government has always worked for transparency.
"In fact, in order to establish transparency, this is the first time that Amnesty International was allowed entry into Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever may be their findings, the fact is that we were clear in our minds that transparency is the best thing and we allowed them to come here and visit.
"Similarly, whether it is the National Human Rights Commission or the State Human Rights Commission neither have made any adverse findings against the State Government. Wherever the reports come in, they are investigated and if necessary, action is taken," Omar said
TOKYO: India has made it clear to China that the defence exchanges suspended in July will remain on "pause" till Beijing reverts to its long-held position on Jammu and Kashmir.
The issue along with China’s new practice of issuing visa to people from Jammu and Kashmir on loose sheets instead of passport and the boundary dispute are among the matters expected to figure prominently when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in Hanoi later this week.
India has witnessed with concern the change in China’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of its changed position, China refused to give proper visa to Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal because he serves in ‘sensitive’ Jammu and Kashmir and instead wanted to give stapled visa to him.
This upset India, which put on hold high-level defence exchanges as part of which Jaswal was going there.
China has conveyed its keenness to resume the exchanges, but India has made it clear that these will remain "on pause" till such issues are sorted out, sources said.
The sources emphasised that it was China which had "tied the knot" and it was for it to untie it.
"Let us see how far it goes," they said.
India, though wanting all kinds of defence exchanges with China, underlined that it is in no hurry to end the pause unless China’s position changes.
The sources pointed out though defence exchanges are on hold, military interactions at lower level like border meetings are continuing.
The change in China’s position on Jammu and Kashmir is also reflected by its increasing activities in parts of the state under Pakistani control.
India has already lodged protest against this indulgement by China.
The sources said though China has been denying any change in its position the ground situation is otherwise.
On boundary question, the Special Representatives are expected to meet soon and the date could be announced after the meeting in Hanoi. (agencies)
NEW DELHI: Taking exception to the statement of Mr Dilip Padgaonkar, the Chairman of the three-member panel of interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir, expressing the need for involvement of Pakistan, the BJP today asked the Prime Minister’s Office to clarify if internationalising the issue was part of the brief given to the panel.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said here Mr Padgaonkar, on reaching Srinagar yesterday, had contended in an informal chat with the media that the panel was there to look for a permanent solution to Kashmir and a permanent solution was not possible without involvement of Pakistan.
"We wonder if this was part of the brief given by the Union government or they were expected to interact with the citizen’s group to understand ground realities in the Valley," the spokesperson asked.
"While the BJP has no objection to the panel interacting with citizens in the Valley, they would be exceeding their limits if they were to internationalise the issue. The comments were a reminder of the Pakistan’s stand on the ‘unfinished agenda’ on Kashmir and the panel seem to be arguing the Yurriyat’s angle."
"It is time for the PMO to clarify to clear the matters and tell the country if they indeed had given the brief to him," she said. (agencies)
