Srinagar: The Yashwant Sinha led team that recently concluded its three-day visit to Kashmir Valley Saturday said that they will submit a detailed report before Ministry for Home Affairs soon.
Talking to Kashmir Observer, one of the team members, Wajahat Habibullah, said that they were ‘extremely saddened’ to find Kashmir stuck in such crisis of enormous proportions. “We can’t express in words the magnitude of the calamity befallen upon this wonderful nation,” Wajahat Habibullah told Kashmir Observer.
He said the steps taken by the government of India to mitigate the suffering of people in Kashmir have largely been ‘insufficient’. “I think the government of India could have done more,” he said. “Nevertheless, it’s not too late to make a fresh and an honest beginning to pull Kashmir out of the quagmire it has sunk into.”
“The level of anger among the youth and the hatred towards India does tell us a different tale of Kashmir,” he said. “We realize there is a deep disconnect between the people and the government—both state and central.”
Wajahat said there is dire need to find ways and means to resolve Kashmir issue. “We have to find some ways to get the K-issue resolved and I do believe Kashmir will continue to burn till the issue is not resolved,” he said.
After interacting with the people, Wajahat said “we felt the pain and agony of the Kashmiri people.”
“The silver lining, however, is people welcomed us with open arms and expressed their viewpoint freely,” he said.
“We are in the process of compiling a detailed report of our visit and we will submit that report before the Home Ministry of India,” Wajahat said
“The team will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will apprise him about prevailing Kashmir situation,” he said.
Wajahat said it is high time government of India focused its attention towards the Kashmiris with a sympathetic attitude. “Kashmir is lava that erupts after every regular interval. A proper way should be fond out to address this issue,” he said.
Wajahat, who has served in Kashmir during peak of militancy, accused many Indian journalists of misreporting from Kashmir. “We shall take this issue up with the channel owners and, in fact we have already talked to some media houses in this regard,” he said.
A five-member delegation led by former external affairs minister, Yashwant Sinha had visited the Valley on a three-day visit on Tuesday. The delegation led by Sinha comprised besides Habibullah, former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, veteran journalist Bharat Bhushan and Executive Director of the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation Sushobha Barve. The delegation met separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as well.
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