Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24 chaired a meeting of political leaders from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir – first and crucial step aimed at resuming the electoral process in the UT, 22 months after the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state.
This meeting, that lasted more than three-and-a-half hours, discussed delimitation, election and restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, according to the leaders who were present at the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence, 7 Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.Our democracy’s biggest strength is the ability to sit across a table and exchange views. I told the leaders of J&K that it is the people, specially the youth who have to provide political leadership to J&K, and ensure their aspirations are duly fulfilled. pic.twitter.com/t743b0Su4L
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2021
Among the takeaways, according to the leaders, was as assurance from the Centre that the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will be held as soon as the Delimitation exercise is over.
Also, the government, the leaders said, promised the leaders that it was committed to its promise of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir which was bifurcated into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, along with abrogation of Article 370, in August 2019.
We are committed to ensure all round development of J&K.
The future of Jammu and Kashmir was discussed and the delimitation exercise and peaceful elections are important milestones in restoring statehood as promised in parliament.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2021
Assembly elections soon after Delimitation
Jammu and Kashmir has been under Centre's rule imposed in the erstwhile state in June 2018.
Many leaders who attended the meeting said that it was a cordial, positive and dignified engagement.
"We were all in agreement that we must work together for the democracy and development of Jammu and Kashmir," Muzaffar Hussain Baig, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Peoples Conference leader said after the meeting. His party colleague and Peoples Conference chief, Sajad Gani Lone said there was a cordial and emotional bonding during the engagement.Almost 80% of parties spoke on Art 370 but the matter is 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& land,employment guarantee: GN Azad pic.twitter.com/ujkJu9uEeL— ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2021
'Restore statehood, rehabilitate Kashmiri pandits'
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said his party representatives put forward five demands in the meeting. He said that party demanded restoring statehood, conducting assembly elections, job and land guarantee for people of Jammu and Kashmir, ensuring return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and release of political prisoners who were arrested before and after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
"It was an open discussion," Azad said.
The leaders said that the Prime Minister said that the elections will be held soon after the Delimitation Process is over. The leaders said that Home Minister Amit Shah promised that the full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir will be restored, too.
As many as 14 top leaders from all regional political parties, including the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of five regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress, the Peoples Conference, and the Apni Party were present at the meeting.
The meeting, sources said, started with introductory remarks by Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh. The MoS asked the J&K leaders who wondered what was the agenda of the meeting, according to the sources. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke after the J&K leaders followed by final remarks by the the Prime Minister, they said.
#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds meeting with Jammu and Kashmir leaders in Delhi pic.twitter.com/8nDYDzdTfy
— ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2021
Apart from Azad, three other former Chief Ministers of the erstwhile state, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress were present at the meeting. The NC and the PDP are part of the PAGD. MY Tarigami of the CPI (M), another PAGD constituent, was also present.
Additionally, J&K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari, BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta and Peoples Conference's Sajad Gani Lone will also be present at the meeting.
Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha and Home Secretary were also present.
'Restore Article 370, talk to Pakistan'
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti raised the issue of Article 370 during the meet describing it as 'article of faith' for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
"I told the PM that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will struggle constitutionally, democratically, peacefully. Be it months or years, we will fight for restoration of Article 370 in J&K as it's a matter of our identity. We didn't get it from Pakistan, it was given to us by our country, by Jawharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel," Mufti said after the meeting.
The former Chief Minister also urged Centre to start a dialogue with Pakistan, even as back channel talks between the two countries were held in April according to reports.
Earlier, while PAGD leaders said that they stand by the alliance's demand seeking restoration of Article 370, assembly election and full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, they said they will attend the meeting with an open mind.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said after the meeting that the leaders told the PM to try and restore the lost trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "We told the PM that full statehood with independent cadre of Jammu and Kashmir should be restored," Abdullah said adding that the Centre promised restoration statehood and elections.
"Most of the leaders were unhappy with Jammu and Kashmir being singled out for Delimitation. The people of Kashmir are looking at the Delimitation with suspicion," he said asserting that PAGD and National Conference will continue to fight for restoring pre- August 5 position in Jammu and Kashmir in the Supreme Court of India.
Sources said that the Centre is clear that there will be no going back on the removal of Article 370. They said the idea behind reaching out to the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir was to seek their cooperation on the delimitation exercise underway in the UT.
The meeting is seen as a giant leap towards restoration of electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir, especially since three of the former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who attended the meeting, were kept in detention for months from August 4, 2019 - a day before the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.
While Farooq Abdullah was detained for seven months, his son Omar Abdullah was kept under detention for eight months. Mehbooba Mufti was released 14 months after detention.
What remains to be seen, however, is how the J&K political parties would want to move forward from here while engaging with the Centre as the electoral process is, seemingly, resuming in the Union Territory.