Jammu, July 12: While New Delhi appointed interlocutors presented a ‘happy-go-merry’ picture of their interaction with the prominent social activist and intellectuals during the two day Round Table Conference (RTC) here, many of the Jammu based organisations have termed it a future excise saying it has not touched the aspirations of the region.
 The civil society in Jammu felt “betrayed” by the interlocutors as according to them majority of the participants in the Conference were outsiders and hardly few intellectuals were invited from Jammu.
 Most of the organisaions while expressing surprise over the people invited for the two day meet alleged that it looked like a stage managed show, with mostly people close to ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress being invited to discuss the future of the region.
 Pertinently, the interlocutors have already held a RTC in Srinagar in April this year, and this one was to seek views of the cross section of society before the final report is submitted to the Centre in September.
 “I don’t know what was in their mind when they sent invitation to the people. Basic question is what they wanted to achieve. Most of the invitees were from outside the State or not from the region”, said former DGP and a civil society member MM Khajuria. ”It is surprising that how can an expert from Delhi or one working in United States be able to represent the region and present the aspirations of the people or challenges to pluralism and political dimensions of multi-ethnicity in JK.
 Yesterday chief interlocutor Dilip Padgoankar said that there was consensus between the members over various issues and these recommendations will be incorporated in the final report being submitted to the center,” he said.
 “The report of interlocutors will meet the fate of Working Group (WG) report”, said Rajiv Chunni, president SOS International, an organisation representing displaced people from Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK).
 Surprisingly, the important elected body of the region Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) had no inkling about the whole process. CCI president YV Sharma said, “We don’t know anything about the meet and were not invited for the RTC. We just had one meeting with the interlocutors during their last visit”.
 Resentment among the people is brewing about the fact that all the recommendations discussed in the meeting will be incorporated in the final report, which will have bearing on the entire Jammu and Kashmir.
 “They should have invited members of civil society working at grass root level here to seek their views. It has ignored the basic point of the purpose for which RTC was held”, said a senior political leader.
 “Doesn’t the view of people affected by the violence in Jammu region matter. It is strange that people who discussed our aspirations are mostly outsiders. Even student representatives were not invited”, said Ravinder Raina, general secretary, Tehreek-e-Insaaf, an organisation of the displaced people from Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST