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Gupkar Declaration: 6 Kashmir parties join hands to forge People’s Alliance
Push for restoration of pre-Aug 5 status, seeks dialogue between all stakeholders
Mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday held a meeting and formed an alliance for restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state as it existed before August 5 last year.
The meeting was held at the residence of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and attended by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone, Peoples Movement leader Javaid Mir, CPIM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and Awami National Conference vice-president Muzaffar Shah.
“We have decided that the Gupkar Declaration will be renamed as People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. Ours is a constitutional battle. We shall struggle for restoration of what was snatched from J&K and Ladakh,” Farooq told reporters after the two-hour meeting.
He said the alliance also seeks a dialogue between all stakeholders for resolution of the issue pertaining to J&K.
“We are going to meet again. We will also meet people from the other regions of the state for a broader discussion on the issues to be put before the people of the state as well as the Centre,” Farooq said.
“All the signatories to the Gupkar Declaration have given a formal name to the grouping: People’s Alliance. The alliance will constitutionally fight for the restoration of the August 4 position of J&K,” said a PDP spokesperson in a tweet that was retweeted by Mehbooba.
The meeting was called by Farooq two days after Mehbooba was released. She was the last of the prominent mainstream politicians to have been released, 14 months after the special status of the J&K was revoked. No other prominent politician of J&K is now in jail except separatists.
J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir could not attend the meeting “due to health reasons”. A spokesperson of the party said Mir had conveyed his inability to attend the meeting to Farooq as the Congress leader was advised by doctors to get himself medically examined..
On August 4 last year, all major political parties in Kashmir, except BJP, had met at the residence of Farooq amidst uncertainty and tension in the erstwhile state as the Centre had rushed additional paramilitary forces there while asking all tourists, including Amarnath pilgrims, to leave the Valley as soon as possible.
The joint statement issued by the political parties, expressing concern over the situation, came to be known as the Gupkar Declaration.
The Centre revoked the special constitutional status of the state and also bifurcated it into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. In a follow up, the political parties had met again in August this year and vowed to fight for restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
