Rajnath to meet all J&K stakeholders in Srinagar; to avoid separatists
NEW DELHI: In a major snub to Kashmiri separatists, Union home minister Rajnath Singh will not be engaging with them during his two-day deliberations with various stakeholders in Jammu & Kashmir starting Saturday in Srinagar. While Singh, who will be in the Valley for the first time since violent protests broke out following the killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani , will be hearing out political parties, civil society groups, media representatives, local businessmen/traders, security agencies and state government brass, sources said a conscious decision has been taken to avoid separatist groups like Hurriyat Conference in view of their tendency to fish in troubled waters and the bitter experience of its leaders “hobnobbing” with the Pakistan High Commission here to stall any Indo-Pakistan dialogue .
Singh will land in Srinagar on Saturday morning and start off his meetings with J&K civil society groups, including NGOs, rights activists as well as delegations of Kashmiri Pandits. A separate interaction with media groups, which have come out strongly against the recent ban on publication of newspapers in the state, will follow. The home minister will also engage J&K businessmen and traders, representing industries like tourism, horticulture and handicrafts, on how to boost the state economy.
As announced by him in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Singh will be staying at the state government-run Nehru Guest House to ensure that he is accessible to all. He will also be making a road journey from the Srinagar airport to the guest house, rather than flying in a chopper.
Meanwhile, the Centre is said to have finalised composition of the committee announced by the home minister to find an alternative to pellet guns+ . Sources said it may be a three-member panel comprising joint secretary (police modernisation) in the home ministry, DG of a Central force (CRPF or BSF) and a J&K government representative. “The committee will study various non-lethal means of crowd control and suggest an alternative that will rule out any serious or permanent injury to civilians, particularly in sensitive parts like the eye. The alternative may be a better or imported make of pellets or a different firing position,” said an officer.
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