The Third Roundtable on Kashmir set the tone for the road ahead by endorsing recommendations to boost relations across the Line of Control, rehabilitate victims of militancy, prevent human rights violations, ensure the Valley’s economic development and bring in good governance.

At the end of a day-long meeting today of political parties that discussed the recommendations made by working groups set up last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the creation of a standing committee of the working groups to carry the process forward and an oversight mechanism to coordinate implementation of the recommendations. The standing committee will take stock of the implementation while the oversight mechanism will identify bottlenecks.

Some participants at the meeting referred to President Musharraf’s proposals on Kashmir prompting the Prime Minister to say that “some public statements in this regard emanating from Pakistan do not give the correct picture. I have said earlier we are working towards resolving all pending issues with Pakistan and the resolution will benefit the entire region”.

Today’s Roundtable took up reports submitted by four of the five working groups set up after the Second Roundtable in Srinagar last year. The fifth working group headed by Justice (retired) Sagir Ahmed, which deals with the contentious issue of Centre-state relations, is yet to complete its deliberations.

Inaugurating the Roundtable, Singh said the government was committed to minimising terrorism as well as human rights violations and “undue harassment” in the Valley. He said the deployment of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir needed to be related to the situation on the ground.

... contd.