SRINAGAR: Former interlocutor M.M.Ansari Wednesday said that if a Western country can be invited to organize musical concert in Kashmir then why any other country cannot be engaged or invited to help resolve the long pending Kashmir issue.
A Western country advocating musical concert in Kashmir against the wishes of majority of Kashmiri people tentamounts to forceful invasion of cultural identity of Kashmir, Ansari, who was appointed by New Delhi along with two others as interlocutors on Kashmir in 2008 told Srinagar based news gathering agency CNS in an interview.
I fail to understand what interests Germany has in Kashmir and why it did not organize the musical concert in New Delhi where there are thousands of Western music lovers, Ansari wondered.
He said when separatist leaders like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq ask India to involve UN for the resolution of Kashmir, he is being criticized. Now, India has invited Germany to organize musical concert in Kashmir then it should also engage any other country to find the solution of Kashmir problem, he said.
I think at a time when we are pursuing peace process, we should not do something silly which could hurt the people of Kashmir. People of Kashmir would love Sufi music than Western one. It is better for the government to spend the money on skill development programmes rather than spending on cultural concert, Ansari suggested.
Ansari who previously served as Indias Former Chief Information Commissioner said that there are reports that hefty amount is being spent over the preparations of Zubin Mehtas 90 minutes Concert. It would have been better for the government to utilize this amount in the service of the people.
In a poverty stricken state like Jammu and Kashmir, spending huge amount of Rs 35 Crore is a wasteful activity. The attempt should have been made to spend such amount to empower the youth of Kashmir, Ansari said.
Government should utilize this huge amount on some skill development programme or it should use it in education or health sector, he said. CNS
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