HM Rajnath Singh’s Kashmir dialogue mantra raises expectations

Malik Sameed
New Delhi, 26 May (KNB): What can be termed as a big stride forward the Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India is ready to talk to the Hurriyat Conference if they are ready to talk, a media report said today.”If Hurriyat is ready to talk, we have no problem, we are ready to talk to anyone. Even if Pakistan comes for a dialogue, we are ready for it,” Singh told Aaj Tak TV channel during a programme held in New Delhi to mark four years of the Narendra Modi government.



The big development comes days after hinting of a possible dialogue with the centre by senior Hurriyat Conference leader Professor Abdul Gani Bhat that the day was not far off when government of India will hold dialogue with All Party Hurriyat Conference and Pakistan. He was addressing people on the death anniversary of former Hurriyat chairman late Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone.
On May 16, the Home Ministry had announced that the forces will not launch any operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan and the unilateral ceasefire has so far resulted in declining violence.
A top source within the pro-freedom camp, while talking to the Kashmir News Bureau stated –“The ceasefire has more or less begun on a positive note and Ramadan has thus begun on a peaceful way. I believe that the top face of Modi government and Home Minister Rajnath Singh will only say things when something is in offing and personality like Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat will not say something without any concrete base as he has a futuristic vision. What we can say without a doubt is that there are some backdoor channels going and with Pakistan also offering dialogue it look something concrete is there that has made these positive assertions possible.”
In the coming days formal response of the Hurriyat conference and Pakistan to these developments will be crucial in shaping the situation in Kashmir and on borders which is looking ugly currently.



Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the assertion of the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh today that Centre is ready to talk to every stakeholder including Hurriyat Conference in Jammu & Kashmir if it comes to table. The Union Home Minister made these remarks in an interactive session with a television channel.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Political Party (PPP) and senior leader of Hurriyat Conference, Engineer Hilal Ahmad War in a statement to KNB on Saturday lambasted at Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh and called him a hypocrite wherein, on one hand, Rajnath said Indian Government is ready to talk to Hurriyat and Pakistan and on another hand he said Kashmir is ours, Kashmiris are ours.
PPP Chief has asked both Atomic Powers of south- Asia (India and Pakistan) to initiate a time bound Composite dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, in order to avoid any likelihood of nuclear conflagration which can engulf the entire world and disturb the International Peace and Security. (KNB)