National Conference to seek Jammu, Ladakh’s support on ‘Gupkar declaration’
Arun Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 29
A meeting of the National Conference political affairs committee in Srinagar today treaded cautiously on the restoration of Article 370, avoiding any reference of confrontation with Delhi on restoration of the special status and statehood for J&K as no provocative phrases other than the previously spoken or written were used.
It opened the room for wider consultations on “Gupkar declaration” in Jammu and Ladakh regions where there are many misgivings about the declaration and its long-term consequences on the polity of J&K.
The meeting, chaired by party president Farooq Abdullah, was attended by party vice-president Omar Abdullah, general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and the veterans of the Sheikh Abdullah era. Jammu leaders, provincial president Devender Singh Rana, SS Salatha took part through video conference.
All leaders agreed that the leadership should widen the scope of acceptance of the “Gupkar declaration” without compromising on basic issues and called for making the cause of the restoration of Article 370 all inclusive.
The attempt to broaden the areas and people of support for the August 4, 2019, “Gupkar declaration” and its reiteration by six Kashmir-centric parties last Saturday is to serve three basic objectives — to reinforce supremacy of the NC that has footprints in all three regions of Jammu, Valley and Ladakh; to tell Delhi that it has wider acceptance than it is being assumed and the history has obligated on the NC once again the lead role in securing what it called dignity and honour of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir; and also to bring home the point that all three regions have some issues of unanimity listed in the declaration.
Farooq Abdullah, who has been the driving force behind the joint statement of reiteration of the “Gupkar declaration”, had been speaking of Delhi’s betrayal. These were reflected in the statement released after over six-hour-long meeting.
It read: “The unilateral, undemocratic and unconstitutional measures undertaken by the Centre and its impact on the ground level in J&K was deliberated on at the PAC meeting.”
The PAC, it said, authorised party president “to widen the acceptance of Gupkar declaration among all sections in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh.” It went on to laud Farooq Abdullah’s efforts “to bring 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”.
The PAC also took strong exception of the “succeeding measures (domicile policy) undertaken by New Delhi following the annihilation of Articles 370, 35-A”.
It said the measures taken after August 5 last year “violated the spirit of federalism and the sovereign pledges of the Union of India to the people of J&K made from time to time” — a reference to the Delhi Agreement, Sheikh-Indira Accord and “sky is the limit as far as autonomy is concerned, anything short of azadi” in mid-1990s.
The PAC members vowed to stand behind the party president in his efforts to bring all parties and other civil society groups “on one platform to pitch for the restoration of what was unconstitutionally snatched from the people of J&K”.
