‘Not more than 200 will benefit from the amnesty to stone pelters, rest who are in thousands will be rendered helpless’
Srinagar: The Congress on Monday said that it is keeping a close watch over Dineshwar Sharma’s south Kashmir visit and is apprehensive that the ruling PDP could use him as a part of its pre-poll exercise in the region.
Parliamentary polls in south Kashmir were deferred earlier this year following the deadly outbreak of protests in Srinagar on election day in April. The government was reluctant to go for by-polls in Anantnag as it expected more protests in the already violence infested region.
Congress’s state chief, Ghulam Ahmad Mir told KNS that the way meetings of GoI appointed interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma with the people of south Kashmir are held, the process seems “stage managed” by the ruling coalition.
“We have inputs that the people are first bundled in the offices of Tehsildars and SDMs and are briefed before being allowed to meet Sharma. This all looks deceptive,” Mir said, adding the instead of meeting selected groups and individuals , Sharma should meet one and all and those who could help him in bringing the normalcy back.
“We heard that the people meeting him raise the demands for more transformers and complaint about erratic power supplies. I think one should seriously ponder upon what is going on,” Congress chief told KNS.
He added that that though his party wouldn’t yet reach to the conclusion over Sharma’s JK visits; however it, so far seems that the PDP is trying to cover up its past blunders while using Sharma as a “mascot.”
“They would use it as a slogan in the coming time however people would themselves know whether the situation witnessed the betterment of any sort by virtue of Dineshwar Sharma’s interlocution,” Mir told KNS.
Casting jibes at the government over its recent announcement of giving amnesty to first time stone pelters in Kashmir, the state Congress chief said not more than 200 people across Valley would get benefitted out of the process.
“The government says it will withdraw FIRs against those who were first timers but there are multiple FIRs registered against each person in police stations of Kashmir. It is a mere cosmetic exercise and I call tell you with certainty that not more than 200 people will be benefitted while the fate of thousands of others would continue to remain dreadful and bleak,” Mir said.
(With inputs from KNS)
