The Centre refused to give Hurriyat primacy among stakeholders; the latter set preconditions that New Delhi demilitarise and accept Kashmir as a ‘dispute’ for dialogue to open. The chasm was evident as much in Rajnath Singh’s cryptic replies to questions on Mehbooba’s letter and discussing Kashmir with Pakistan. The home minister termed Kashmir an ‘internal matter’ and was laconic as much on Pakistan: “I’m speaking to my countrymen. No need to drag in outsiders.”On the positive side, the Centre has, albeit indirectly, accepted Hurriyat as a stakeholder. There’s no escape from it in today’s Kashmir,” noted another pro-talks Kashmir watcher.

Source: Hindustan Times September 05, 2016 18:45 UTC