Keen to keep the Kashmir peace process on track, Centre’s interlocutor N N Vohra will visit Srinagar next week to talk to the Hurriyat Conference leaders, assess the mood on the ground, and try to fix a date for the next round. Concerned about the Bandipora clash between a group of protestors and the police today, sources admitted that the situation was extremely sensitive and a ‘‘bad incident here or there’’ could jeopardise the talks. ‘‘As of now the peace process is on,’’ said an official, carefully choosing his words. Sources said Vohra will meet Hurriyat leaders after Muharram (March 2) and try to assuage their fears and address their concerns. Hurriyat has already threatened to pull out of the talks. The view in New Delhi is that incidents like the one in Bandipora today could be part of a move to derail the dialogue process. ‘‘It is definitely an attempt to vitiate the normalisation process in Jammu and Kashmir. A single big incident can even adversely affect the peace process with Pakistan,’’ the official added. Hurriyat leaders were forced to make noises and express their dissatisfaction with the Centre since they were under extreme pressure at home. ‘‘There is the (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani faction which keeps charging the Hurriyat with selling out and when there are incidents like Bandipora, even people like Abbas Ansari (Hurriyat Chairman) cannot choose to keep quiet,’’ an official said. According to sources, the Hurriyat leaders were also under extreme threat from other terrorist groups. ‘‘It also suits the militant outfits to instigate such incidents. The area of South Kashmir is anyway supposed to be a hotbed of militant activity, especially of the Hizbul Mujahideen and Jamaat-e-Islami,’’ sources said. J&K talks take another hit
