Autonomy issue is now linked with honour of the people

Khan says that the Centre is yet to allot annual funds which have a limited working period of five months. If they are not given during this time, they will lapse.

You ask him whether more autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir will remove these impediments and give the Kashmiris what they really need.

Khan loses his cool. “You ask me what we need? You need some rice or salt to throw in their mouth and things will be all right. That is not the way.”

He points out that there has to be overall development, care for people, cooperation on all fronts. And there is no special formula to achieve this. Khan points out that the question of more autonomy for the state is now linked with the honour of the people. Refusal to give it, he warns, will dishearten and alienate more and more Kashmiris.

But isn’t peace is a precondition to development? Like most in the Valley, Khan too is optimistic about peace. But he says that for peace talks to be successful, Pakistan will also need to be involved. “There is no doubt, we have to have some kind of discussion with Pakistan, whether tripartite or a separate discussion like last time we had with (Nawaz) Sharif,” he says. The modalities, Khan says, could be worked out later. But he feels Pakistan needs to be engaged in a dialogue at some juncture. And he has his own logic for it. “They (Pakistan) are holding one-third of our territory at present. We have to talk to Pakistan,” he emphasises.

But there is too much confusion about the Kashmir situation, he feels. Events like last week’s blasts, he feels, are done to create tension, to show that there is no peace and things are not right there. “It is unfortunate. But I must also say that the propaganda in India is basically because people are ignorant about the situation in Kashmir. In Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai or even in the Parliament, members get up and discuss Kashmir when they don’t know Kashmir at all,” Khan says.