Political stagnation to end in J&K? PM calls all-party meet

National

As National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and top police officials met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday; sources said the Centre is likely to call an all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir on June 24 or after.  Though there is no official invitation with clear meeting agenda sent out till now but sources say that the Centre may discuss initiation of political processes, including holding assembly elections due since 2018, restoration of statehood and other important issues concerning the union territory.

This is the PM’s first major outreach and such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Article 370; scrapping Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into union territories in August 2019. This meeting is likely to be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders. “We have been intimated about a meeting next week. We are waiting for a formal invitation,” a senior Jammu and Kashmir leader said.

PDP party president Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday that the PDP will hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss the invitation of the Centre to regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for talks. She told, “There is no clear-cut agenda about the talks with New Delhi. However, I have asked my party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) for a meeting to discuss the same.” She stated that in the meeting the party will take the decision of whether to participate in the talks or not.

The Gupkar Alliance or PAGD, the seven-party amalgam formed to campaign for the restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir — has expressed its willingness to join the talks. The centre had held local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir in December; the Gupkar Alliance won more than 100 seats and the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 74 seats.