NEW DELHI: Responding to criticism of the appointment of non-political experts to chair five working groups, which will discuss Jammu and Kashmir's future, officials have told The Hindu that Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad made the decision only after the major parties failed to agree on candidates from among their ranks.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami was among the politicians dismayed at the move. "While those appointed are individuals of eminence, it would have been appropriate for what is after all a political dialogue between the Union of India and Jammu and Kashmir [to] be conducted by the people's representatives," he argued.

However, National Conference (NC) president Omar Abdullah applauded the appointments. "When we discussed the composition of the working groups with the Chief Minister, we asked for them to be headed by people divorced from State politics. We wanted people who would come to the issues without preconceived ideas or a political agenda of their own. This is a step in the right direction," he said.

Acting on the authority delegated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr. Azad on Sunday announced the appointment of chairpersons to head the working groups. Dr. Singh announced the creation of the groups at the end of the second round-table conference in Jammu and Kashmir last month, in response to calls from a wide spectrum of politicians, who participated in the dialogue.

The group leaders

The former Chief Justice A.M. Ahmadi will chair the critical working group, which will deliberate constitutional issues. The former foreign service officer M.K. Rasgotra, the former Reserve Bank Governor C. Rangarajan and National Minorities Commission Chairman M.H. Ansari will respectively lead discussions on easing cross-border movements, economic development and rehabilitation of victims of conflict.

Sunday's appointments mark a significant change in official thought on the dialogue process. At a May 29 meeting, Dr. Singh discussed the appointments with Cabinet Secretary T.K.N. Nair, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and the Union Government's official interlocutor on Jammu and Kashmir, N.N. Vohra. It was agreed that the leadership of the working groups be drawn from Jammu and Kashmir.

However, Mr. Azad discovered that both the NC and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) were worried about the prospect of the other dominating the groups.

While the NC wants restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's pre-1953 status, which would limit the Union influence to defence, communications and external affairs, the PDP seeks a still undefined formulation, "self-rule."

A senior official noted that the chairpersons of the groups were neither authorised to negotiate on behalf of the Union Government nor represent Jammu and Kashmir's politicians in New Delhi. "Their role is to act as good-faith arbitrators between the major political parties. Since the PDP and the National Conference were unable to agree on nominees from the State, the appointment of outsiders became inevitable."

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