NC meets to discuss political state in J&K
National Conference (NC)’s high-power political affairs committee met here on Friday to discuss the overall political situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir and chalk out strategy towards seeking restoration of its special status and statehood.
The meeting, the first held since the Centre abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated J&K into two Union Territories (UTs) in August last year, authorised its president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah to garner support for ‘Gupkar Declaration’ beyond its signatories.
On August 4, 2019, the leaders of J&K’s regional parties including NC and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and their allies in Congress and CPIM had met at Mr. Abdullah’s residence along Srinagar’s Gupkar Road and signed a joined statement named as ‘Gupkar Declaration’ through which they vowed to protect the special status, identity and autonomy of J&K and fight tool and nail attempts to split it up.
Last week, the leaders of NC, PDP, Peoples Conference, Awami National Conference, CPIM and Congress issued a joint statement here saying that they are “wholly bound” by the “Gupkar Declaration” and “will unwaveringly adhere to it.”
The NC said on Saturday that its political affairs committee which met at the party headquarters here with Mr. Abdullah in chair held a threadbare discussion on “unilateral, undemocratic and unconstitutional measures undertaken by Government of India and its impact on the ground level in J&K”. While all its members from the Valley attended the meeting, those from Jammu region and Kargil participated in it via a video link, a party spokesman said.
A statement issued by the NC said that the meeting authorized Mr. Abdullah “to widen the acceptance of the ‘Gupkar Declaration’ among all the sections in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh”. It added, “The participants applauded the efforts of the party president towards bringing different political voices on a single platform for the restoration of J&K’s honour, which was undemocratically, unilaterally and unethically rescinded on August 5 last year”.