New Delhi:
Almost three months after being appointed by the Central government as part of efforts to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the interlocutors made their first contact with the separatists on Thursday when Dilip Padgaonkar spoke with Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq over the phone.
Speaking to NDTV, Mirwaiz said he told Padgaonkar that the separatists are not against dialogue but New Delhi must take some visible steps to create a conducive atmosphere for dialogue.
The appointment of interlocutors was part of the eight-point initiative announced by the government after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 25 to hold sustained dialogue with various shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir.