Interlocutors on JK meet political delegations at Uri

Professor Radha Kumar and Information Commissioner M M Ansari, two of the three interlocutors, met delegations of Congress, NC and Pahari Forum during the visit.

The delegates expressed their desire for the resolution of the Kashmir issue and stressed on the day-to-day problems faced by the people of Uri and adjoining areas. They urged the interlocutors to convince the Centre to provide electricity to the border area, as one of the biggest power houses in the state was located there, officials said.

The political leaders also highlighted the unemployment problem in the area and demanded a special recruitment drive for the youths, they said.

One of the delegates demanded that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir should be made a free trade zone.

"Instead of having restricted number of items on the exchange list, the trade should be free," he said.

The interlocutors later visited Kaman Post, the last point before the start of PoK territory.
Kumar and Ansari, who arrived the state on Tuesday, have so far interacted with delegations in Leh, Kargil and Baramulla district headquarters.

They are scheduled to visit several other areas in the valley over the next couple of days before they submit their report to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Journalist Dilip Padgaonkar, who heads the three-member team of interlocutors, is abroad.