JKNT

Srinagar, October 27: Governor N N Vohra  told a five-member team  led by former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha  on Thursday that there was an urgent need for peace and inclusive dialogue to restore peace in Kashmir at the earliest.

Vohra who all along has been laying stress on good governance and peace for prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir through  sustained dialogue , according to sources,  told the  visiting delegation that  dialogue could  pave way for peace only when there is an open-mind about it . The current more than 100 days of disturbances, accentuated by the acts of  violence, arson, burning of schools and private vehicles , have presented a new challenge for the civil society.

Sources said that the Governor  appreciated the initiative  by Sinha and his team that comprises

Sushobha Barve, Executive Director, Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR), Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Kapil Kak and  Bharat Bhushan former Editor and senior journalist in visiting Kashmir and speaking to the stake holders.

Sinha  recounted that how the team has been able to break ice  in talking to separatists and other stake holders in Kashmir  and the need for a  conducive atmosphere for  meaningful interaction to  tap the fields of peace in Kashmir .

“ The people have the hope, but they want someone credible to translate that into reality for them,” the Sinha team is reported to have told  the Governor . “ They know that nothing can be worked out overnight, but  the necessity  for the start of a result-promising process should  begin in the right earnest.” This  is the feedback of the team that they shared with the Governor, sources said.

The highlight of the visit of the team  has been  its meetings with  hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani  and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq .  This enabled the  team to convince  other stakeholders of sincerity of its purpose.

The team, led by Sinha, which is visiting Srinagar to talk to various stakeholders about the ongoing disturbances, shared their views with the Governor.

The Governor stressed the importance of a sustained dialogue with all stakeholders for securing very early restoration of peace and normalcy in the State.