Srinagar, Dec 3: The assertions of chief interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar that the report submitted by him and his two colleagues on Kashmir should be made public without any delay to put an end to speculations, evoked mixed response from mainstream political parties in Kashmir.
 While opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the delay in release of the contents of the report was a ‘matter of concern’, state Congress president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz said ‘activism’ exhibited by Padgaonkar ‘was not proper.’
 PDP chief spokesman Naeem Akthar said the delay in release of the contents of the report was a matter of concern. “Several initiatives announced by the Centre in the past like Prime Minister’s Working Groups are gathering dust. Nothing has been done to address the basic issues like trust and governance deficit here,” Akthar added.
 However, State Prof Soz said that utterances of Padgaonkar reflect impatience on his part and added that “activism” exhibited by him was not proper.
 “They (interlocutors) have done their assignment and now they should leave rest to the government. This is not only report as Sagheer Committee recommendations are also lying with the government,” he added.
 Senior National Conference leader and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Sagar said it is surprising to see that interlocutors appointed by New Delhi are seeking assistance from the politicians of JK in making the report public.
 “People of Jammu and Kashmir don’t know what the report contains. But, we cannot interfere since the matter is between interlocutors and them (New Delhi). We appreciated the announcement of this initiative last year, but now ball is lying in New Delhi’s court as report had been submitted to them,” he added.
 CPI (M) state secretary and MLA Kulgam, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami said New Delhi’s ‘indifferent attitude’ towards the interlocutors report suits only those elements “who want to keep the pot boiling.”
 “He (Padgaonkar) is right in expressing dissatisfaction over delay in making the recommendations submitted by them public. From time to time different panels were instituted, but their recommendations were not implemented due to lack of will exhibited by New Delhi .These things only add to mistrust among the people and suit the vested interests, who are deriving mileage out of the situation,” Tarigami claimed.
 The CPI (M) leader said he will raise the issue at an appropriate forum and added that this was the best time to put the report in public domain.” This time, parliament is in session and let it be discussed there,” he added.
 The three member team of interlocutors comprising Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former Information Commissioner, MM Ansari, were appointed by New Delhi after last year’s unrest, to find resolution to the Kashmir problem. The appointments were one of the main points in the Centre’s eight-point agenda announced then to defuse the unrest, in which more than 115 youth fell to bullets of paramilitary forces and police.  After interacting with more than 600 delegations in 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and holding three roundtable conferences, the interlocutors submitted their final report on October 12, this year.
 On August 15 this year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah claimed that he had been assured by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Home minister, P Chidambaram that all recommendations by the interlocutors for resolving Kashmir issue will be acted upon.
  “We are hopeful that interlocutors will soon submit their report and it will not be ignored like those in the past,” Omar had said at Bakshi Stadium here.
 Even on the day of submitting of report, Padgaonkar said that Chidambaram had told him that report will be shared with the all-party delegation that had visited Kashmir last September. “The Home Minister has asked us to make ourselves available to the all-party delegation. After this, the report should be brought to the public domain because we want it to be debated across the country and in particular in Jammu and Kashmir.” the chief interlocutor then said.
 As reported by Greater Kashmir earlier, the interlocutors in their final report had called for review of all central laws imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after 1952.  They had also called for ,amendment of the Public Safety Act (PSA), review of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), reduction in the presence of security forces and rationalization of the security installations.

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