Centre names 3 interlocutors for Kashmir

The home ministry on Tuesday chose eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, Information Commissioner M M Ansari and academician Professor Radha Kumar as interlocutors in the Jammu and Kashmir dialogue process, according to sources.

The interlocutors are expected to initiate the process of dialogue with political parties, groups, youth and student organisations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, including the separatists.

The interlocutors were appointed as part of the Centre's eight-point Kashmir peace initiative. The chairman of the group will enjoy the rank of a Union Cabinet minister.

The government also constituted two special task forces for Jammu and Ladakh regions to examine the allocations in terms of infrastructure needs and make suitable recommendations to overcome the deficiencies.

While Abhijit Sen, a Planning Commission member, will be leading a task force on Jammu, Narendra Jadhav, another Planning Commission member, will be the chairperson of the team on Ladakh, an official notification said on Wednesday.

It said the two task forces have been constituted keeping in view the immediate objectives to maintain peace and order and defuse the situation through confidence building measures. The decision on forming of the three task forces was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 25.

The terms and references of the two task forces would be to identify the special development needs of the region and suggest measures to address them and to examine allocations to the regions in terms of infrastructure needs. They will make suitable recommendations to overcome the deficiencies. The task forces have been given three months to submit their reports.

The notification said the task forces shall be provided with all possible assistance by ministries and departments and other agencies under the central and state governments to facilitate its task. The chairperson and members shall be treated as state guests during their period of stay and work in the state.