National Conference President and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday, 22 June, announced that, other than him, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami will attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minster Narendra Modi with leaders of Jammu and Kashmir later this week, reported ANI.
The Congress will also participate in the meeting on 24 June. "The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi today," chief spokesperson of J&K Congress, Ravinder Sharma, was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Those who would be attending the meeting from the Congress include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and J&K Congress chief GA Mir.
“Since all of us are part of our political parties and we have received individual invitations, it has, therefore, been decided today that all of us will go and attend the prime minister’s meeting.”Farooq Abdullah, Former Chief Minister, J&K, to IANS
‘Pain and Suffering of the People Must be Highlighted’
The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) leaders had congregated at the residence of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar on Tuesday to discuss a “joint strategy” for the PM meeting.
“Statehood is Prime Minister’s own commitment. They won’t be doing us a favour by giving us statehood back. Gupkar Alliance has been formed for the restoration of what was taken away from us on 5 August 2019.”PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti to NDTV
Adnan Ashraf, People’s Conference Party spokesperson, in an interview with The Quint, stated that the party has agreed that the pain and suffering felt by the people of Kashmir must be highlighted in the prime minister’s meeting.
“We will hope that this engagement facilitates return to democracy and empowerment of the people of Kashmir.”Adnan Ashraf, Official Spokesperson, People’s Conference Party
Adding that it’s time to involve stakeholders for a new social contact, Ashraf said that the party will stress “the need for the dialogue to be positive, decisive, and result-oriented”.
The meeting to be held on Thursday would be the first such exercise to be held between the Centre and Kashmir’s mainstream political leaders since J&K was stripped of its statehood.
‘Hope Meeting is Not for Optics But Serious Debate’
CPI(M) Leader and PAGD spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, in an interview with The Quint, said that CPI(M) has always been open to any dialogue or communication with the Centre when it comes to the living conditions of the people of Kashmir and hoped that it it not just an eyewash and for optics.
“As far as this meeting is concerned, we don’t even know the agenda. But certainly as a political party, CPI(M) has always said that an opportunity for any contact, dialogue, and communication to discuss the issues that the people of this region are facing will not be missed.”Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) Leader and PAGD spokesman
“We hope that this meeting is not just for optics or an eyewash and that there should be some seriousness with those who are holding power in New Delhi. We are demanding restoration of Constitutional rights and our historic status,” Tarigami added.
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