Mukhtar Wani
Srinagar:As the PM Narendra Modi is going to meet the political leaders from J&K, the main focus is going to be on the leaders who are going to meet the PM from Kashmir Valley. The leaders under the PAGD are going to attend the meeting.
While the leaders have been stating that there won’t be any compromise of anything, the PAGD gas stated that they will discuss the restoration of statehood and the Article 370.
At the same time, the political leaders who are in the know-how of the developments stated that there isn’t going to be any discussion on the restoration of the statehood, not to talk of anything with regard to Article 370. So what is really left for the Valley leaders to discuss during the meeting?
PAGD has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation for a meeting on June 24 in New Delhi and they will represent the people of Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh in the session.
The PAGD leaders said that they will pitch hard for the restoration of “what was ours and what can remain ours” hinting that they will seek rollback of the August 5, 2019 announcement.
Addressing a joint press conference after a marathon meeting at National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar residence, the PAGD leaders said that they will also seek release of political prisoners and shifting of inmates from various Indian prisons to J&K jails.
Dr Farooq, who heads the PAGD said: “Our stand is clear and all of you know what our stand is. Since New Delhi has invited leaders’ individually, we have decided that all those invited will attend the meeting and put forth their points on J&K.”
He said that there is no fixed agenda for the meeting. “We can talk on any and every issue in the meeting,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, M Y Tarigami said that they will not ask for stars from the sky in the PM’s meeting on June 24.
“We will seek something that is ours and will remain ours,” he said, hinting that they will seek restoration of Article 370 and Article 35 A. He said that they will go to Delhi and represent the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
“We will put forth the aspirations of people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the meeting. Whatever is possible within the Indian constitution is what we are going to seek,” said Tarigami, who is the chief spokesman of PAGD.
Chipping in, PDP chief Mehbooba said that earlier there was a suggestion that only Dr Farooq would represent PAGD in the June 24 meeting but now there is a consensus that all those who have been invited will go. “We are not against dialogue.
My late father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has always advocated dialogue for resolution of issues. I believe New Delhi should have released all political prisoners for creating an atmosphere for talks but it didn’t,” she said.
“Now we will demand the release of political prisoners as there are many who are ill in jails. We will also seek immediate shifting of prisoners back to J&K jails from various Indian prisons.” Echoing similar views, Tarigami said that prisoners like Shabir Ahmed Shah are very ill in prisons and that the release of inmates is highly inevitable now.
However, people believe that the leaders should be able to get the best deal out of the proposed meeting on June 24 and should be able to get the assurance from the centre that there will not be any further degradation of the affairs of J&K. At the same time, people believe that if the centre does not restore the statehood, the elections in such a situation are not going to be any good for the leaders.
“They should get the statehood back, and after that, they should go for the elections with a continuous pressing on the restoration of the special status of the J&K; we feel that there should not be any more degradation. The resources need to be kept for the people; people should be treated with dignity, respect” a resident—who has been following the political developments keenly—said.
