Away from the political din over suspension of Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, life in Srinagar rolls on. However, some questions still linger. “Is Delhi serious about resolving the Kashmir dispute? Does Delhi want to permanently remove Kashmir issue from Indo-Pak talks?”
Reactions of mainstream political parties in Kashmir aren’t different either. In a way, suspension of dialogue over Pakistan High Commissioner’s invite to separatists ahead of Foreign Secretary-level talks has bridged the separatist-mainstream divide.
It isn’t even the abrupt suspension of talks but the reason behind the decision that is being discussed across Kashmir.
“The decision of suspending talks shows yet again that India is insincere about moving ahead on Kashmir. There have been talks and nothing has come out of them, nor will anything come out of it in the future,” Hilal Ahmad Khan, who runs the Khan News Agency told The Hindu .
“But this government is removing the façade that always hid the aimlessness of talks and interlocutors and any process for resolving the Kashmir issue,” says Mr. Khan.
New Delhi’s decision to suspend talks has brought into focus the non-seriousness of these talks and has vindicated the stand of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, that India was not serious about resolving the Kashmir issue through talks.
“This decision has made the Hurriyat more relevant and especially that section, which has stayed away from dialogue,” human rights activist Khurram Parvez says.
Speaking to The Hindu , the chairman of All-Party Sikh Coordination Committee in Kashmir, Jagmohan Singh Raina, said the decision shows lack of political wisdom from New Delhi’s side and a reluctance to move ahead toward the resolution.
“This attitude is not good for the resolution of the Kashmir. Not only Muslims but minorities are concerned at this hasty decision,” Mr. Raina said.
