Omar Abdullah urges centre's interlocutor to meet people

Legislators and opposition politicians met the Centre ’s point man, Dineshwar Sharma, on Wednesday and discussed with him the prevailing trust deficit among local people who seek a permanent resolution to the Kashmir issue.

They also expressed concern that the institution of dialogue has been discredited over the years and the onus of restoring its credibility lies with the Centre, people familiar with the matter said.

Sharma told media persons after one of the several meetings he held during the day that his discussions were progressing well.

This was the third day of his six-day visit.

Early on Wednesday, Sharma visited former chief minister Omar Abdullah at his residence.

Abdullah suggested that Sharma move out of his meeting centre and meet people on the ground, something that Sharma might do during his next visit. He is flying to the state’s winter capital, Jammu, on Thursday to meet people there.

“We discussed the prevailing situation in the state as also steps that can be taken to make his visits to the state more meaningful,” Abdullah said in a post on microblogging site Twitter. He told media persons that he hoped that Sharma acts on his suggestions “as waiting for people to come and meet him won’t yield results”.