Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called an all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, sources say amid reports that the Centre may discuss restoration of statehood and other important issues concerning the union territory. This is the PM’s first major outreach to end the political impasse over the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti confirmed to news agency PTI that she had received a call from the Centre for a meeting on 24 June. “I am yet to make a decision. I will discuss with my party members and take a final call,” she said.
Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President, an ally of the BJP in the valley, Altaf Bukhari welcomed the all party meeting and said: “Better late than never as the solution to all our problems lies with New Delhi and nowhere else.”
This comes after Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the national capital.
The agenda of the meeting between Sinha and Shah was developmental issues and the current situation of the Union Territory, the official sources had said.
