NEW DELHI: Five months after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised to set up a working group to discuss greater federal autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir, State Government authorities have yet to appoint either a chairperson or members.

On May 25, after two days of discussions with representatives of a wide spectrum of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Singh announced that five working groups would discuss all issues of the State's future. New Delhi's commitment to set up a working group to deliberate on the demands for autonomy and self-rule was a historic breakthrough, which won widespread domestic and international applause.

In his closing remarks at the Srinagar round-table conference, Dr. Singh said this critical working group would discuss "matters relating to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union," "methods of strengthening democracy, secularism and the rule of law in the State," and the "effective devolution of powers among different regions to meet regional, sub-regional and ethnic aspirations."

Procedural problems?

Union Home Ministry sources told The Hindu that the delay in forming the working group was a result of procedural problems. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had been given the charge of appointing its members, approached the former Chief Justice, A.M. Ahmadi, to chair the autonomy deliberations. However, the proposal collapsed after Justice Ahmadi asked that the group be granted the status of a government commission.

In August, Mr. Azad opened informal discussions with the former Ambassador to the United States, Abid Husain. However, the diplomat's extensive overseas travel commitments made it impossible to conclude an agreement on the terms of his appointment. A formal letter inviting Dr. Husain to chair the working group was therefore yet to be issued, the sources said.

Significantly, though, there appears to have been no difficulty in finding qualified individuals to lead the working group's four less-contentious sister bodies. National Minorities Commission Chairperson Hamid Ansari, who is leading the working group on rehabilitating terrorism victims, and the former Foreign Secretary, M.K. Rasgotra, who is leading the group on cross-Line of Control relationships, have held meetings in Srinagar and Jammu.

Both groups are scheduled to hold a final round of meetings in New Delhi this winter before submitting their findings to the Prime Minister. The former Reserve Bank of India Governor, C. Rangarajan, and the former Planning Commission member, N.C. Saxena's working groups on economic development and governance have also held one of their three scheduled meetings. Their final reports are expected early in 2007.

New Delhi's failure to force forward movement on the working group on autonomy suggests it is reconsidering its commitment to negotiate Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional future with elected politicians.

Like the National Democratic Alliance Government, which refused to discuss the National Conference's demands for autonomy, the United Progressive Alliance Government seems to have accorded primacy to securing a settlement with secessionists and Pakistan.

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