Government appoints Dineshwar Sharma as its representative in J&K

The Union Government has appointed former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Dineshwar Sharma as its Representative (or special interlocutor) to initiate and carry forward sustained dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with all stakeholders
In his new role, he will have rank equivalent to a Cabinet Secretary and complete independence in deciding who to hold talks with.

Need

Due to prolonged anti-india protest, rising insurgency in Kashmir valley, intense counter-insurgency operation by armed forces has caused acute distress in region. There is demand from various sections for sustained political outreach to prevent radicalisation of local youth which is also topmost concern for Indian security establishment. It is seen that sustained political dialogue with all the stakeholders will have lasting solution and it will help in confidence-building measures between government, civil society and dissidents in Kashmir.

Key Facts

As Government of India’s representative, Dineshwar Sharma will likely hold talks with elected representatives, various organizations and concerned individuals in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. He will have dialogue with mainstream local political workers of PDP, National Conference and Congress, heads of various religious seminaries in Valley, local student unions etc. He will try to understand legitimate aspirations of the people of the state and to know how things are panning out on ground for and against India.

Dineshwar Sharma

He is 1976 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre. He has worked as mediator for talks with various insurgent groups based in Assam including the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). He had worked as director of IB include from 2014 to 2016. He had served as DIG of Border Security Force (BSF) and as  IG of CRPF in charge of J&K.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2017