"Prime Minister has a vision for Kashmir"

Top bureaucrat and New Delh's expert on Kashmir, Wajahat Habibullah is moving Kashmir to take the charge of the Chief Information Commissioner of the state. The Central RTI Act, which came into force in 2005, extends to all parts of India except Jammu and Kashmir due to its special constitutional status. Now the RTI, as Wajahat Habibullah says,  Act would bring transparency and accountability in the public life in J&K. A day before leaving for Kashmir Wajahat Habibullah spoke to THE WEEK about RTI, working group and the PM's peace initiative on Kashmir.

Q. Your appointment as the chief information commission is the only major recommendation of the Working Groups implemented by the government. How do you see it?

A. It is a big responsibility. I sincerely hope and believe that the other recommendations will be implemented.

Q. Are you satisfied with the progress of the Working Groups?

A. I'm optimistic about the prime minister's initiative on Kashmir. He has a vision for Kashmir. He has shown a great deal of personal interest to win peace in Kashmir. However, I will say that the timely implementation of the working group recommendations has failed.

Q. The Prime Minister has appreciated your proposal on Kashmir? What is the crux of your proposal?

A. It is based on the concept of the local governance. Both India and Pakistan should promote local self-government in their part of Kashmir through maximum participation of the populace involved. The model envisages that gram sabha (halqa majlis) would accord prior approval to plans, programmes and budgets prepared by the village panchayats (halqa panchayat) and certify the utilisation of funds. All these proposals should only be put into action after they have been placed before elected assemblies or authorised representatives (read Hurriyat) of the people in Jammu & Kashmir. The same model can be put into action in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir by Islamabad.

Q. Is it not similar to the People’s Democratic Party’s self-rule proposal?

A. Yes, in some ways it comes closer to PDP’s self rule.

Q. Will it fulfil the local aspirations?

A. Tell me what do the people of J&K want. They say we want Azadi. What is Azadi: it is the freedom to live one's own life with dignity. I think you need to empower people at the local level and give them freedom to exercise their democratic rights. The problem arises when you curtail that freedom.