Interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma meets different stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir

The Centre’s new point man for Kashmir talks, Dineshwar Sharma, arrived in Srinagar on Monday and met nearly 10 delegations representing different stakeholders.

Sharma is expected to meet about 60 delegations during his six-day visit that the ruling PDP has hailed as a path-breaking initiative even as many others in the Valley have expressed their doubts, primarily because of the refusal of the separatists to meet him.

The first afternoon of Sharma’s visit started with six delegations from the scheduled list turning up to meet him at Hari Niwas Palace, while the rest made a last-minute entry at the meeting centre.

A delegation of Gujjar Bakerwal community came to meet Sharma within two hours of his arrival, followed by those representing a fruit growers association, a football association and artisans.

Some political delegations from regional parties that have expressed scepticism over the initiative are scheduled to meet Sharma on Tuesday. Senior legislators, including MY Tarigami of CPM, Hakeem Yasin of People’s Democratic Front and Democratic Party Nationalist’s GH Mir, a former minister, are among those expected to meet him. “The kind of hard work and seriousness that has been invested into this initiative is surely going to get results,” said a senior PDP leader.

Another PDP leader said that the Centre has shown consistency in this effort and deliberations have taken place at many levels.