The Hindu : Mufti sees role for J&K Govt. in Vohra mission

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

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Mufti sees role for J&K Govt. in Vohra mission

By Shujaat Bukhari

JAMMU MARCH 5 . Amid uproarious scenes in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today said the talks being initiated by the Centre's interlocutor, N.N. Vohra, would be unconditional and a roadmap for the dialogue would be drawn up in consultation with the State Government.

Replying to a supplementary question raised by National Conference leader, Ali Mohammad Sagar, the Mufti said the talks would be first held with the elected representatives. "These would be unconditional and not by pick and choose''. The State Government would have a definite role in preparing a roadmap for the talks.

Even as the entire Opposition was on its feet, when the Speaker did not allow Mr. Sagar to ask a supplementary, the Chief Minister avoided a direct reply on the issue of involving separatists and militants. "Please clarify whether the dialogue would be held with the separatists including the Hurriyat Conference, what you said in a newspaper interview'' Mr. Sagar asked the Chief Minister. When the Speaker insisted that the Chief Minister had replied to the question, the NC members asked angrily as to "under what rule you are disallowing us''. They assembled near the well of the House and raised slogans. However, the CPI(M) MLA, M.Y. Tarigami, intervened and asked the Speaker to give the NC member time. The issue was resolved, when the NC's leader in the House, Mohiuddin Shah, and Mr. Sagar again sought to clarify the status of the Vohra mission. "We welcome the talks but what about the terms of reference, modalities'' Mr. Shah asked.

The Chief Minister then referred to the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee's speech from the Red Fort in which he had talked of holding a dialogue with elected representatives and other sections of society and also to the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's remarks during his Jammu visit that talks would also be held with those who did not take part in the elections. He called upon political parties to help evolve a consensus.

The Mufti, praising Mr. Vohra, said "he is a main of integrity and honesty and has been involved in high profile assignments''. When the NC members pointed out that the issue was being denigrated and from the political level it had gone down to the level of a former bureaucrat, the Chief Minister retorted saying: "In Indira-Sheikh accord also, it was a bureaucrat G. Parthasarthy who was a mediator''. He said it was due to the State Government's strenuous efforts that the Centre had appointed Mr. Vohra as the interlocutor, who was arriving here tomorrow to start the process.

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