The three-member team of Centre-appointed Kashmir interlocutors will submit its final report to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram here on Wednesday.
The panel, which consists of eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former Information Commissioner M.M. Ansari, was appointed by the Centre exactly a year ago.
Mr. Padgaonkar said that important aspects such as socio-economic conditions of people, rising unemployment, people-to-people contact across the Line of Control and other Confidence Building Measures have been included in the final report.
Mr. Padgaonkar said the report would focus on “political settlement” of the Kashmir issue. The interlocutors have visited all the 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and interacted with a large number of people in all the three regions — Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. They had also met Governor N. N. Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, leading politicians, social, cultural and educational organisations, students and journalists during their visits to the State. However, separatists' organisations refused to meet them.
The interlocutors met nearly 700 delegations during the past one year and held three round-table conferences in the State. “The report represents almost all voices of the State,” Mr. Padgaonkar said, adding that “the panel has taken into account both mainstream and off-stream opinions.”
