Srinagar: Centre's interlocutor for Kashmir and former Union Home and Defence
Secretary N N Vohra arrived on April 21 for a weeklong visit to hold talks with
political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, even as separatist groups, including the
Hurriyat Conference, were still undecided over holding parleys with him.
Vohra, who is accompanied by two home ministry officials and whose name was
announced by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on the floor of Rajya Sabha in
February would meet CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) leader Mohammed Yusuf
Tarigami and National Conference president Omar Abdullah on April 22.
The visit of the former bureaucrat was being watched keenly by observers especially
after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, during his two-day visit to the valley,
said he would hold talks with anyone who wanted to.
Vohra would be holding discussions with National Conference, Congress, People's
Democratic Party and Peoples' Democratic Forum and some other individuals, including
former Chief Ministers and intellectuals during his weeklong visit.
Hurriyat Conference and other prominent separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah were
still indecisive on whether to meet Vohra or not as they have raised doubts over the
Centre's fresh initiative.
PTI
