Karat slams Centre, J-K Govt. for failure of Kashmir dialogue

Srinagar, Aug 23 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat on Monday slammed the Central Government and the Jammu and Kashmir Government for not being able to take the political dialogue forward on the Kashmir issue.

Karat, who is in Srinagar to assess the impact of the curfew and violent protests, said the Kashmir issue should not be treated conventionally.

"The question of Jammu and Kashmir is to be treated separately as a special case and not dealt with in the normal conventional manner. Earlier, a party had tried to urge upon the-then Narasimha Government and the-then United Front Government that provision of maximum autonomy is the only way you can go towards a political settlement," said Karat.

"But the stark failure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, after coming back to office in 2009, is the total absence of even a conception of how to go towards, take a political dialogue forward," he added.

Karat further said the dialogue should include people of the State, and that the party would urge the Central Government in making a roadmap for political dialogue.

"The process of dialogue should be open-ended. It should involve all sections of the people in the State, and we will strive when we go back, to urge upon the Central Government to start at least providing a framework and roadmap of how to go about the political dialogue," said Karat.

"The Central and State Governments have been dealing with the Kashmir issue as a law and order problem," he added.

The Kashmir Valley has experienced a surge of violence that has led authorities to impose frequent curfew restrictions in several parts of the state.

Curfew was initially imposed on June 30 in parts of northern and southern Kashmir to stop demonstrations over a couple of protesters who died in police firing.

It was lifted some days later, but was again imposed as fresh violence erupted. By Parvez Butt (ANI)