JOIN USIn a fresh attempt to break the 109-day logjam in Kashmir, a track-II delegation led by former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday met separatist leaders, including hardliner Syed Ali Geelani, in Srinagar.
After having more than an hour meeting with Geelani at his uptown Hyderpora residence, Sinha, who is leading the five-member delegation, said the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere.
After landing in Srinagar, the delegation drove to the octogenarian leader’s house where he is placed under house arrest. “We have come here with the aim of holding talks. The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere,” Sinha, who held Finance and External Affairs portfolios during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, told reporters. However, prior to his meeting with octogenarian Geelani, Sinha told the media that the delegation had not come in official capacity and its members had come to meet the separatist leaders at their own to assess the situation which arose after the killing of Burhan Wani on July 8.
“We have come here on the basis of humanity and our aim is to share the pain and sufferings of the people. If we can do that, we will consider ourselves fortunate,” he said.
Soon after meeting with the delegation, the Hurriyat faction led by Geelani issued a statement saying the ailing separatist leader reminded them of the historical perspective of the Kashmir issue and also demanded that all the leaders and people who have been jailed since July 9 be released.
Reform local militants: Mehbooba
Do not kill the local militants but bring them back to mainstream life through persuasion, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Unified Headquarters on Tuesday, DHNS reports from Srinagar.
“Mehbooba urged the police and security forces to hand-hold the misadvised youth who have joined militancy or are indulging in violence, with compassion, and help them bring back to the mainstream through persuasive influence,” read a statement, issued soon after the UHQ meeting.