Srinagar, October 14
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here today that the Centre was ready to hold a dialogue with Kashmir separatists to find out a “unique solution to the unique Kashmir problem” through “quite talks and quite diplomacy”.

The Home Minister was addressing mediapersons at an interactive session during the All India Editors’ Conference on Social and Infrastructure Issues here this morning. He, however, did not elaborate on whether a formal invitation would be extended to the separatists.

He said the Kashmir issue was to be addressed politically, saying the trouble-torn state with a unique geography and history would require a unique solution. Any solution in some other part of the country could not be copied in this state, he said. “Because Jammu and Kashmir has a unique geography and history it has to have a unique solution,” he commented. “We are working on it and hope that there will be a success,” he said. “A solution for the Kashmir problem must recognise the state’s unique geography and history,” Chidambaram commented.

Chidambaram held that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made it clear that the government’s policy was to hold a dialogue with Kashmir leaders of different shades. “We are not afraid of a dialogue and are not shying away from talks,” Chidambaram asserted. He added that a dialogue would be held with the mainstream political parties and mainly the section of others who had been staying away from elections. “They (separatists) have a point and we will hold a dialogue with them,” the Home Minister pointed out.

“There is no place or zero tolerance for violence in the state even as there are different shades of political opinion,” the Home Minister said. The main problem behind violence was not the youth of the state, who had realised the futility of the gun, the Home Minister said, adding that the infiltration of armed militants was the main cause of concern. Youths were being recruited and trained in Pakistan before their infiltration into the state, he said. “Infiltration is the cause behind violence in the state though the level of infiltration has come down,” the Home Minister said.

The system to check infiltration had been improved with a significant success during the last few months, Chidambaram said and added that infiltration could be reduced but not stopped.

A realisation to find an amicable solution to the issue is definitely welcome. Hurriyat is committed to having a meaningful dialogue with India and Pakistan

— Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq