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Vohra's appointment 'useless': Shabir Shah

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU FEB. 23. The Government of India's new interlocutor on Kashmir, N.N. Vohra, may not find negotiators among separatists as they seem to be pessimistic about his appointment.

The Democratic Freedom Party chief, Shabir Shah, termed it as "useless'' and the senior All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) member, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, says that the alliance knows nothing about his "mission.''

On Mr. Vohra's appointment, he said "we know nothing about his job. The Government's terms of reference are yet to come. How do we know what is his agenda.

But in any case the Hurriyat executive is meeting on Wednesday and will react to the development.''

Mr. Shah, who had invited criticism for holding talks with the Government's earlier negotiator, K.C. Pant, said that "it is useless."

``The Government is not sincere as far as Kashmir is concerned. It is to divert the attention of the Kashmir Committee.'' Mr. Shah is not inclined to talk to Mr. Vohra and accused Delhi of being insensitive to the situation in Kashmir and is "on a path of gaining time.''

So far, only Hashim Qureshi, leader of the Democratic Liberation Party has expressed readiness to talk to Mr. Vohra. But that will hardly change the situation as the hijacker-turned separatist leader is seen as a spent force in the separatist camp. However, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and his coalition Government have emerged as strong supporters of the Vohra mission. Mr. Sayeed, who all along had been demanding a dialogue with all sections of people, is jubilant over the development. "The dialogue process has brightened the hope for peace,'' he said at a function. He got his stand endorsed at a meeting of legislators of the coalition Government.

Eminent journalist, Ved Bhasin, says "If the dialogue process again revolves round economic development and does not address the political alienation and a dialogue with separatists, then it is going to be another futile exercise."

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