Former IB chief Dineshwar Sharma to hold talks with stakeholders in J & K

New Delhi, Oct 23: Former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Dineshwar Sharma, has been appointed the representative of the Centre to hold talks with stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh affirmed on Monday. The announcement was made at a news conference here. Mr Rajnath Singh said ,'The Government has decided that a sustained dialogue will be held with stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir.' A 1976-batch Kerala cadre IPS officer who retired as director of the IB on December 31, 2016, Mr Sharma will hold the position equivalent to a Cabinet Secretary. On whether Mr Sharma will also hold talks with separatists, the Interior Minister said the interlocutor will be free to decide whom to talk to. The Home Minister said the initiation of the dialogue process with stakeholders was in line with the declaration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a solution to the problem in Jammu and Kashmir could be achieved only through embracing the people of the state. UNI