Jammu and Kashmir: BJP welcomes Dineshwar Sharma as interlocutor, says stakeholders to 'give peace a chance'

Jammu: Welcoming the appointment of former IB chief Dineshwar Sharma as the Centre’s special representative in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Monday asked all stakeholders to “give peace a chance”. All stakeholders must come forward to meet the central interlocutor and put their points across, said the BJP state unit’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi. Violence and the culture of separatism had destroyed the economy and peace of the region, he added, asking stakeholders to avail of the opportunity to usher in peace. The vast majority of the population in Kashmir was yearning for peace for the sake of the future of their children, Sethi said. [caption id=“attachment_4170777” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Dineshwar Sharma. Twitter @AIRNewsalerts[/caption] “The atmosphere in the Valley has been deliberately vitiated for personal and political gains which has caused immense loss to the Kashmiri culture of peaceful coexistence,” he said in a statement. “The land of saints and rishis has been spoilt… and time has come to wash it clean again,” he added. The solution to the problem has to be within the Constitution, Sethi stressed. Any demand which is beyond the Constitution or has the “attribute of secession” will never be acceptable to the BJP, he said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday announced Sharma’s appointment for a “sustained dialogue” with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir. Sharma would have complete independence in deciding who to hold talks with, Singh said. He said this in response to a question on whether Sharma would hold talks with the separatist Hurriyat Conference. Sharma would initiate sustained dialogue to understand the legitimate aspirations of people, especially the youth, and try to fulfil them, the minister had said.