Interlocutors to submit report on JK before Oct 12

Jammu, Sep 16: Ruling out any delay in submission of their report, Centre-appointed interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir will submit it to the government before October 12.

"Our term comes to end on October 12. The report will be handed over before October 12," Dilip Padgaonkar, who heads the three-member team of interlocutors, told PTI here today.

"There will be absolutely no delay. I don't know where people get this stuff from," he said while referring to media reports about delay in submitting their report to the Centre.

The panel comprising veteran journalist Padgaonkar, academician Prof Radha Kumar and former Information Commissioner M M Ansari were appointed by the Centre to find out practical, feasible and workable solution regarding Jammu and Kashmir by accommodating aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to the largest possible extent.

In a reply to a question about media reports that interlocutors may recommend making special status for J-K under Article 370 of the Constitution as a "permanent" one, Padgaonkar said, "I don't respond to such speculation." The panel will be meeting General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen K T Parnaik at Command Headquarters at Udhampur, 65 km from here.

The interlocutors are on a three-day visit to the Jammu region. This is their 12th visit to J-K.

"We had visited Samba, a border district. We met groups of panches and sarpanches besides 20 odd delegations representing political parties, civil rights and civil society groups yesterday," Padgoankar said, adding that the interactions and meetings were satisfactory.

The interlocutors are also scheduled to visit some border areas and meet some academicians tomorrow before flying to Srinagar.

Till now, the interlocutors have visited 18 districts, met 550 delegations to hear the aspirations, demands, problems and view points of political parties, academicians, writers, NGOs, social, religious and community organisations and from the civil society.

PTI