New Delhi:  Hours after his appointment as the Centre's representative for starting a dialogue with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir, former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma on Monday said he will try to fulfil the expectations of both the government and the state's people.

"I thank the Union government for appointing me (as its representative for a sustained dialogue process). I will try my best to fulfil the expectations of the government and the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Sharma told Doordarshan News. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in a press briefing on Monday, announced the start of a dialogue process in Jammu and Kashmir and appointed Sharma, a retired 1979 batch Indian Police Service officer, to represent the central government for talks with "all" stakeholders in the troubled state. Sharma, appointed in the rank of a Cabinet Secretary, will have complete authority and mandate as the Centre's interlocuter to hold a dialogue "with anyone he wants".