J&K leaders stick to statehood, but may attend PM Modi's meet

A day after the Centre invited 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including four former chief ministers, for talks in New Delhi on June 24, political activities gained momentum from Srinagar to New Delhi on Sunday.

While two main regional parties in J&K – National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – held deliberations to decide about their future course of action, various reports emerged throughout the day as to what New Delhi wants to discuss with political leaders of the Union Territory (UT).

From restoring the statehood to J&K and delimitation exercise, there were speculations throughout the day about the agenda of the meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his New Delhi residence on June 24. In New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly held separate meetings with the lieutenant governors of Ladakh and J&K.

In Srinagar, regional parties went into huddle to decide about their future course of action. The Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the highest decision-making body of the PDP, held a virtual meeting, where they authorised party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to take a decision on attending the meeting called by the PM.

After the meeting, Mehbooba told reporters that the agenda of the PM's meeting in New Delhi seems to be delimitation of constituencies and holding elections, “which is not our agenda.”

“Before any dialogue, the government of India should have taken some confidence building measures. (But) a final decision whether to participate in June 24 meeting in Delhi would be taken only after it is decided in the PAGD meeting,” she said.

The NC held a similar meeting presided over by the party chief Farooq Abdullah. “We have started a consultation process and by Monday afternoon, we will make a decision (about attending PM’s meet),” NC’s provincial president, Nasir Wani, told reporters.

On Saturday the Centre invited 14-leaders including four former chief ministers, Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar, Mehbooba and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, to attend a meeting on J&K chaired by the Prime Minister on June 24.

Sources told DH that two main regional parties – the NC and the PDP – will take a joint decision only after the meeting of the PAGD. The PAGD - an alliance of NC, PDP, CPM, Peoples Movement and Awami National Conference- was formed in October last by Kashmir-centric leaders with the pledge of perseverance and steadfastness towards restoration of the special status of J&K revoked by the Centre in August 2019.

“As of now, it is likely that the PAGD may authorise Farooq Abdullah, who is also president of the alliance, to participate in June 24 meeting on behalf of the PAGD. By doing so, they can send a message that the alliance is united in their demand for restoration of J&K’s special status and statehood,” they said.

However, sources added, there may be changes in the next two or three days in this plan. “Both the NC and the PDP have their own compulsions and they don’t trust each other. The show of unity is just for public consumption. The well-wishers of both the parties in Delhi are pleading the case of their respective parties before the Centre,” they revealed.

The PM’s meeting with all political parties from J&K is part of the Centre’s initiative to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the UT. This will be the PM’s first interaction with all the political parties of the UT since August 5, 2019 when the Centre abrogated the state’s special status and bifurcated it into UTs.