The state has been on the boil since the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in July last year. Sharma did not want to answer questions on whether he would engage with separatists belonging to the Hurriyat Conference but emphasised that he would speak “to all stakeholders”. “Peace must be restored in Kashmir and for that I will talk to all people in an effort to bring about a solution,’’ he said. The Atal Behari Vajpayee government held talks with the separatists and current chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has for long been asking Modi to ‘’do a Vajpayee”. Sharma, who will soon visit the Valley, has a tough task ahead as he starts the search for peace.

Source: Hindustan Times October 23, 2017 13:40 UTC