Rajnath Singh: J&K talks after peace returns

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, speaking to reporters here at the end of a two-day visit to Kashmir, said on Sunday that the Centre will talk to “whosoever is needed” to find a solution to the issues once peace and normality is restored in the Valley. He also sought to make it clear that the Government of India wants not only to have a relationship with Kashmir based on its needs but also strike an “emotional chord” with its people. “We want to build an emotional relationship with Kashmir, not one based only on needs,” he said.

The home minister accused Pakistan of encouraging terrorism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, and said: “Pakistan’s role in not pak (pure) in relation to Kashmir. They need to change their behaviour.”

Mr Singh said Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and, therefore, it should not encourage violence in J&K. He ruled out the possibility of involving a third country on seeking a solution to the Kashmir issue, saying: “We don’t want third-party involvement to address the situation in Kashmir. The Government of India is clear on it.”

The minister was on a marathon two-day visit to the Valley for an on-the-spot assessment of the law and order situation, which had deteriorated with each passing day after the killing of a militant commander earlier this month.

Mr Singh, while “regretting” the loss of over 50 lives in security forces’ firings and other action, said: “Our government and the Prime Minister are concerned about the Kashmir situation, but let peace and normality be restored and only then we will talk about it (dialogue).” Asked if the government would offer an apology to the families of firing victims, he said: “We have expressed regret.” He appealed for peace and asked people to help in normalising the situation.

Endorsing J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti that Pakistan should “not do unto us what it doesn’t want others to do unto it’, the home minister said that Islamabad was killing militants inside its own territory but is asking Kashmiri youth to take up guns. “We won’t tolerate militancy in any way. Kashmir will be an abode of humanity,” he pledged.

Asked about the suggestions on Kashmir made by one of his predecessors, Congress leader P. Chidambaram, Mr Singh said the government welcomes “constructive suggestions” and firmly believes “all problems can be solved only through dialogue. There is no other way.”

Mr Chidambaram recently proposed a radical solution to the J&K situation by advocating restoring the “grand bargain” under which the state had acceded to India by granting a large degree of autonomy. He warned that otherwise the country will have to pay a “heavy price”. The home minister said all such suggestions could be looked into once normality was restored in the Valley.

Asked if the Centre would initiate a dialogue process with separatists, he said: “Peace and normalcy are pre-requisite.” He added the Centre will take Ms Mufti, the chief minister, into confidence on the issue. “J&K CM will suggest us whom to talk,” he said. He added: “If there are any internal differences, they can be resolved only by talks.” On implementing the recommendations of the Centre’s interlocutors on Kashmir named by the previous Congress government, Mr Singh said, “I’ve come to know about this report. I will check about it and will see about its progress.”

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Singh held a marathon meeting with top officers of the J&K police, the paramilitary forces, Army, intelligence agencies and the civil administration here to review law and order in the Valley. He also visited southern Anantnag for an on-the-sport assessment of the situation. Anantnag was worst hit in the violence, and most of 50-plus deaths in security forces’ firings and other action to quell the stone-pelting mobs in the past fortnight were reported from it and neighbouring Kulgam and Pulwama districts.

Accompanied by ruling PDP leaders, Mr Singh met some local players and families of those slain in police firings to hear a firsthand account about the situation. Mr Singh said: “I met more than 30 delegations since I landed in Srinagar yesterday.”

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and members of her council of ministers also met the Union home minister. Earlier, he held separate closed-door meetings with the leaders and representatives of mainstream parties, including the National Conference, PDP and BJP, as well as the CPI(M) and some smaller outfits. The Congress refused to meet the home minister, and so did key trade union bodies and civil society groups. They said any meeting would be “meaningless”, accusing the government of “killing and maiming innocent people”.

The NC delegation, led by former CM Omar Abdullah, asked the Centre to initiate a sustained dialogue with Pakistan as well as the separatist groups in J&K for evolving a consensus for a mutually acceptable solution. It also said it would be a “travesty” to treat the current unrest in the Valley as a “mere law and order problem”.