After a two-hour-long meeting at the residence of former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, different J&K political parties today named their alliance as “People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.” The parties pledged to fight for the restoration of Article 370 and insisted on the resolution of Kashmir issue.
Dr Farooq, who was accompanied by Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Gani Lone, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami and others, after the meeting said, that the parties have decided to name the Gupkar resolution as People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. “Our motive is to fight for the restoration of August 04, 2019 position.”
Dr Farooq Abdullah said all the signatories will fight for the rights that were snatched away last year from the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. “We also want that the steps be taken for the resolution of Kashmir issue and all the stakeholders should be taken on board in this regard,” he added.
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The next meeting of the alliance will be held in the coming days.
CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Taragami told Outlook that detention of political leaders was discussed in detail during the meeting. This was the first meeting in which all the leaders were present physically, “so we endorsed what we have already stated in our previous communications,” he said. He said the parties also discussed how to move forward and also how to contact other regions including Ladakh.
The meeting, hosted by National Conference Chairman Farooq Abdullah, was the first since August 4, 2019, a day before Article 370 was revoked. The participants also greeted former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti who was released Tuesday after more than a year in captivity.
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The Gupkar declaration is a resolution that was passed on August 4, 2019 —by the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Congress, People’s Conference, and smaller parties including Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) of Engineer Rashid, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement of Shah Faesal, and some smaller parties—to defend J&K’s special status.
A day later, on August 5, 2019, the BJP government revoked Article 370 amid arrests of around 8000 people including three former chief ministers and enforcing a security and communication lockdown.
This year on August 22, despite the crackdown, the signatories of the resolution surprised the government by issuing a joint statement describing abrogation of Article 370 as grossly unconstitutional and a challenge to the basic identity of the people of J&K.
