Former Chief of RAW and Special Director IB, A S Dulat who was in the state capital on Friday claimed that way of the former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee ’s way is the only method to deal with Pakistan .

“The only way that peace can be achieved in Kashmir is through talks. We are currently following the muscular policy but that has already failed. Kashmir is a political problem and it can be resolved only through political dialogue. Vajpayee was a leader who had the will for peace and that is the only way that we can have peace in the valley. I have worked with him when he was PM and he was a man the likes of which we will not see again”, said Dulat.

Elaborating further, he added,”we need to talk and we must never stop doing that. Having met a few ISI officials in Pakistan, I get the feeling that they also want peace. However, we have become cynical and open up a bit. The biggest concerns in Kashmir now are the local youth joining militancy and radicalisation. The way forward is not the use of force but winning the hearts of the people there.”

Deliberating over Imran Khan taking over as Pakistan’s PM on Saturday, Dulat said,”We need to have the will to resolve the issues between the two countries. There is no issue which cannot be sorted out if there is the correct inclination. As Khan will take over as the new PM, we must start talking to him to bring peace to the valley. I can only hope that he will be different from his predecessors.”

