BackPM Modi all-party meet ends: J&K leaders put five demands including statehood
The Home Minister said the government is committed to granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. All leaders demanded full-fledged statehood, Azad said
PremiumSoon after Prime Minister Modi's first all-party meet on Jammu and Kashmir concluded, key leaders who participated in the meeting shared the details of what happened during the hours-long discussion.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the leaders kept 5 demands in the meeting — grant statehood soon, conduct Assembly elections, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in J&K, all political detainees should be released and on domicile rules.
"Home Minister (Amit Shah) said that the government is committed to granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. All leaders demanded full-fledged statehood," Azad said.
Azad said that almost 80 per cent of parties spoke on Article 370 but the matter was sub-judice in court. "Our demands included full-fledged statehood soon, elections to restore democracy, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, all political detainees to be released and land, employment guarantee," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone said the meeting was held in a very cordial manner. "We came out quite positive that hopefully there will be some delivery for the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he added.
Sharing the details, J&K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari said that the talks were held in a good atmosphere. Prime Minister Modi, he said, heard issues of all leaders. "PM Modi said that election process will begin when delimitation process finishes," he added.
Bukhari said that the Prime Minister asked all to participate in the delimitation process. "We have been assured that this is the roadmap towards elections. PM also said that we are committed to the restoration of statehood," he added.
BJP's Nirmal Singh said that almost all political parties came to a consensus that there should be peace in Jammu and Kashmir and a government should come there democratically. "Prime Minister Modi appealed to all the leaders that there would be peace only when everyone works together," he said. Singh further said that the delimitation would be done and after this, further process would be undertaken. "Delimitation Commission will hold discussions with everyone, after that things will move forward," the BJP leader said. Singh has served as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from April 2016 to 2018.
Kavinder Gupta, another BJP leader and former deputy chief minister, said that all political parties presented their opinions. "I think that in the time to come, political process is going to begin. Election will be held after the delimitation process. Assembly will be constituted there once again," he added. Gupta, however, said Article 370 had been abrogated and "it should not even be thought that it will ever come back".
Muzaffar Hussain Baig said that all leaders demanded statehood. "To which Prime Minister said the delimitation process should conclude first and then other issues will be addressed. It was a satisfactory meeting. There was complete unanimity for restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir," he added.
Former chief minister Omar Abdullah said that the leaders told Prime Minister Modi that they didn't stand with what was done on 5th August 2019. "We are not ready to accept it. But we won't take law into hands. We will fight this in court. We also told Prime Minister Modi that there's been breach of trust between State and Centre. It's Centre's duty to restore it," Abdullah said.
"We requested the Prime Minister that our fight will continue but it's essential to reverse some decisions that are not at all in the interest of J&K. It was given the status of a Union Territory, people don't like it. They want full statehood for J&K with J&K cadre restored," the National Conference leader said.
Among the leaders who participated in the meeting were Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and GA Mir; National Conference's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, J-K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari; BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh, and Kavinder Gupta; CPI(M)'s M Y Tarigami; National Panthers Party's Prof Bheem Singh; and Peoples Conference's Sajad Gani Lone.
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