‘Militants ready to give peace a chance’
Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar has said that militants in Jammu and Kashmir have expressed their willingness to present a “peace plan”. Mr Padgaonkar, who is part of the three-member JK interlocutor team appointed by the Centre to hold talks with all sections of people in the state, told a television channel that they met militant groups during their recent visit to J&K. Giving details about their meetings with those from militant groups, Mr Padgaonkar said, “The first time we met guys from terrorist organisations. They said would you mind coming again once. We need to talk to you. So we went a second time. And the second time, during an hour and a half, something quite surprising took place which was one of those guys who acted as spokesperson of one of these organisations said to us that they would like to submit to us also a peace plan,” he said. The person asked the group whether they would be prepared to wait for few days because they too wanted their voice to be heard.
“They believed that they have a roadmap etc. So we said we have come to listen to you. We are quite prepared. As and when you prepare your point of view, let us know and we will examine that as well. I see this as something important because this is when the idea came that you need to talk also to our people that was the message given to us,” he said. On objections raised about the meeting of Radha Kumar, one of the three interlocutors, with people accused of terror, she said, “They do represent, unfortunately, a rather ugly view point in Kashmir but that is important for us to meet them.” Kumar said the purpose of her visit to prison was to meet young detainees “stonepelters” and political prisoners. It was during one such visit that she met people charged with terror which transpired into an “interesting meeting”, she said.
She said the view of terrorists may be “unpalatable but that we must listen to them.” Kumar said, “As far as the dissident groups are concerned, especially the Hurriyat groups we do understand their compulsions and we will always be willing to listen to them.”
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