Centre seeks J&K views on interlocutors report
The Centre has sent a reminder to the PDP-BJP government in J&K to clear its stand on the report by the three-member Interlocutors Group, which recommended special status to the state, amendment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), release of political prisoners detained under the Public Safety Act and a judicial commission to supervise the identification of bodies buried in the unmarked graves.
The move could upset ties between the PDP and BJP as they are not on the same page on many of the recommendations.
The J&K Interlocutors Group, which had academician Radha Kumar, journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and former Information Commissioner M M Ansari as members, had submitted its report in May 2012. The group was appointed by the UPA government following the 2010 unrest in the valley in which 120 people were killed.
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A senior home ministry official said that earlier they had sought a report from the Omar Abdullah government but there was no response. “We had written to the state government in 2013 and sought their comments on the report but they chose to sit on it. Now, we have written afresh to the new government and sought their comments for further action on the report,” said the official.
The interlocutors had recommended that the word ‘Temporary’ in Article 370 should be replaced with ‘Special’, which has been used for certain states such as Assam, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh.
During the elections, BJP had campaigned for abrogation of Article 370. However, ally PDP is against it.
Two days ago, Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju told Parliament, “In the Constitution of India, there is no mention of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 provides for temporary provisions with respect to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Incidentally, the home department of the J&K government, which will deal with the report, is held by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed himself.
“The Interlocutors Group had given political, socio-economic and cultural recommendations. We have sought comments on all the issues raised in the report so that we can take further action,” said the MHA official.
The group had recommended that Central laws shall only be made applicable to the state if they relate to the country’s security or a vital economic interest, especially in the areas of energy and water resources.
Source:: Indian Express
