Kashmir interlocutors visit Poonch

POONCH - The three interlocutors appointed by the Central Government to talk to a cross section of society and various communities in three different regions of Jammu and Kashmir, visited Poonch to get a sense of the problems faced by the people of the region.

Two of the three interlocutors, journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and former Central Information Commissioner M. M. Ansari, began the dialogue with various communities and local leaders here.

Academician Radha Kumar, who is in Afghanistan, is scheduled to join them later.

The main delegations that met the interlocutors include Legislators, Representatives of Social and Religious Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and tribal communities like Gujjars, Bakerwals and Pahari speaking groups.

After the meeting, Ansari said that people of Kashmir do not want to a division of India.

“They say that they are a very important part of India. They do not want to see a partitioned India. They say that whatever has happened till now has affected the people who live on borders the most and unfortunately if something happens again they will be the most affected lot,” Ansari added.

K. K. Kapoor, head of the senior citizen delegation, said that they discussed their problems with the interlocutors and they expect that both India and Pakistan would sit together to resolve the issue.

This is the third visit of the interlocutors to the state.

Earlier, Padgaonkar said that reports regarding the first two visits have been provided to both the Central and Jammu and Kashmir Governments to take steps towards restoring of peace.

“We handed over the report of our first visit to Jammu and Kashmir to the Home Minister. It gives our preliminary assessment of the situation, as we perceived it. We have also given a series of recommendations and suggestions to address the kind of problems that are faced in different regions of the state, and by different sections of the population in the state,” Padgaonkar added. (ANI)