The Hurriyat says yes

Ironically with the onset of winter in the Valley comes the prospect of a real thaw. For the first time in years, leaders who inspire the independent respect and loyalty among the Kashmiris, including people like Maulvi Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, Abdul Ghani Bhat and Sajjad Lone, have stated their support for a meaningful dialogue with the Centre. The fact that their stand was made clear before a congregation of over two lakh at Srinagar’s Jamia mosque on the last Friday of Ramzan demonstrates that there is already a fair amount of general consensus reached on the issue. New Delhi, on its part, has offered talks at the highest level, anchored by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani himself. We have then the basis for a credible dialogue process and one that should be taken with utmost seriousness and sensitivity by both the Central government and the Hurriyat.

The Hurriyat has imposed a condition though: that the talks should be unconditional. It appears that the Central government has indicated its agreement to this. In other words, the dialogue is to be an open-ended process. This is a useful principle to adhere to — for two reasons. One, when the issues to be discussed have proved so contentious, caused so much bloodshed and recrimination, it would make sense to keep the discussions relatively amorphous — at least at the beginning of the process — so that the exchanges can be free. Two, it gives the more moderate leaders who will be spearheading the present initiative some leeway within the community. They are, after all, walking on eggshells. The Hurriyat as an umbrella organisation had only recently witnessed an ugly power struggle, with hawks like Syed Ali Shah Geelani rooting for the inclusion of Pakistan in the dialogue process. The hawks have gone their separate ways and will continue to whip up public support for their stand. Given this background, it becomes incumbent on the Central government not to impose its own framework on the proceedings and leave the moderate leaders open to the charge of being traitors to the Kashmiri cause.

There are very real dividends for the nation in adopting this approach. Not only does every day spent in dialogue mean one more day invested in the peace process, every day spent in dialogue exposes Pakistani propaganda that the Kashmiris in the Valley are being brutally crushed. This is a moment of opportunity. J&K has enjoyed one full year under a government elected in a free and fair election and incidents of insurgency-related violence in J&K have come down by an estimated 26 per cent — according to J&K government sources. There is, besides, a growing international resistance to terrorist violence. It makes sense for both the Central government and the Hurriyat to seize this moment with both hands.