Gupkar leaders meet ahead of delimitation panel visit

A meeting of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was held in Srinagar on Sunday, the first such meet after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi on June 24.

The meeting of the leaders of the alliance, which seeks the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that was revoked by the Centre in August 2019, also came ahead of the visit of the members of the Delimitation Commission to the Union Territory.

A PAGD leader said the meeting was held at the residence of alliance chairperson and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah at the Gupkar locality of Srinagar.

All the leaders of the alliance, including People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, and its chief spokesperson M Y Tarigami, were present at the meeting, he said, adding that NC vice-president Omar Abdullah was also present.

The leader said it was the first meeting of the alliance after the prime minister's all-party meeting with the leaders of the mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi on June 24.

"The meeting was actually scheduled on June 29, but was postponed because of some personal commitments of alliance vice chairperson Mehbooba Mufti. So it was held on Sunday," he said.

He said the leaders discussed Modi's all-party meeting and the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The alliance is committed to its core agenda -- for which it was formed -- and we reiterated what we stand for and what we seek," the leader said.

He, however, refused to share further details, saying the alliance's chief spokesperson will brief the media about the meeting.

When contacted, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Tarigami said the details of the meeting will be shared on Monday.

Another PAGD leader and NC's Member of Parliament Hasnain Masoodi said the meeting dispelled the rumours of some differences within the alliance.

"I can only share that the meeting took place and every member attended it. This should dispel the rumours that were going on. There are no differences within the alliance and everyone is on the same page," he told PTI.

J-K Congress to meet delimitation commission

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress committee (JKPCC) members will meet the delimitation commission as per schedule in Jammu and Srinagar, officials said on Sunday.

Congress has asked its district units and senior leaders to seek time to meet the commission in order to represent their respective districts but regretted the short notice to those from far-flung areas.

JKPCC has announced that it would send delegations to both Srinagar and Jammu to meet the commission, its spokesperson said.

Seven districts of Jammu region have been allotted one hour each while five districts of Kashmir half hour each, JKPCC Chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.

The commission should consider suggestions of the congress party in the larger interests and invite more suggestions and requests directly apart from routing through Deputy Commissioners (DCs) or District Education Officers (DEOs), he added.

The commission, which was constituted in March last year with a one-year time frame, should consider giving reasonable time and space to all, according to Sharma.