Civil society groups in Kashmir avoided Rajnath Singh’s all-party delegation meet

SRINAGAR: Several civil society groups in Kashmir, including tourism players, didn’t meet the all-party delegation led by Home Minister Rajnath Singh during its visit to the valley.

Some of them said such meetings were inconsequential without the participation of Hurriyat leaders and what they termed a lack of genuine political initiative from the government to deal with the Kashmir situation.

The government had invited the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, bar association, Ittehadul-Muslimeen, Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Owners Federation, Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association, Travel Agents Society of Kashmir and the Traders Federation among others for meetings. At a press conference on Monday, Singh said more than 300 people, including politicians and civil society members met the delegation during its stay in Srinagar.

Those who didn’t meet the delegation said they weren’t expecting much from the meeting. “We had met the same people in 2010 and even presented a memorandum, but nothing happened.

What is the use of replicating a useless exercise,” Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told ET. “Some of my colleagues were arrested. Others could not come to meet me because of curfew. We could not talk to each other,” said Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Bashir ud Din, who also heads Ittehad ul Muslimeen, a conglomerate of more than 30 organisations.