The Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference, ahead of a major meeting of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Delhi’s plan to commence talks on Tuesday, while calling it a “good change”, said there is realisation at the Centre that it cannot move forward in J&K without the mainstream political parties.
The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M), the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) and the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference (JKANC) will meet at the Gupkar road, Srinagar, residence of PAGD President Dr Farooq Abdullah at 11 am to discuss New Delhi’s invitation for talks.
“The meeting is scheduled to take place at 11 am tomorrow. We have sent out invitation to all the constituents,” PAGD spokesperson, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami told Kashmir Observer Monday.
Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti is also to take a final call on attending the all-party meeting, informed PDP spokesperson Syed Suhail Bukhari. “A meeting of PDP’s Political Affairs Committee was held today (ahead of all-party meet of all J-K parties, in Delhi). All members have decided that the final decision regarding this will be taken by Mehbooba Mufti, all members have authorised her,” Bukhari said.
The Prime Minister’s meeting on June 24 with the political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is expected to be about the delimitation exercise. The meeting is an attempt by the Centre to seek political validation of the administrative exercise which started in the first week of June. But Kashmiri leaders have their own agenda for initiating the talks.
The PM is expected to urge leaders at the June 24 conclave to cooperate with the Delimitation Commission and set the electoral process moving.
