SRI NAGAR: With the Centre yet to specify the agenda for the June 24 All-Party Meeting (APM) on Jammu and Kashmir to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi, the Gupkar alliance is in a fix over participation.Leaders of the six-party People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) — formed last year to push for Article 370 restoration — will meet at the residence of National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday to chalk out a strategy for the talks.
Four of the alliance leaders, including Farooq and his son Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami have been invited for the APM, which is the first major outreach by the Centre since abrogation of Article 370.“Abdullah will continue consultations with party leaders tomorrow. He will take a final call on the party’s participation in the APM after attending the Gupkar Alliance meeting tomorrow,” a senior NC leader said.
The PDP’s Political Affairs Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, met on Sunday and authorised party president Mehbooba Mufti to take a call on participation in the APM. She too would be taking a final call after attending the Gupkar Alliance meeting.A senior PDP leader said Mehbooba, who has been very vocal against Article 370 revocation, is reluctant to attend the APM. “She says attending the APM is useless as it will focus on the delimitation process. She feels it as an attempt to discredit the mainstream leaders,” said a PDP leader.
PAGD spokesman and CPIM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said the Gupkar Alliance would meet and decide how many of their leaders would attend the APM and what issues they would be raising before the PM. “We will be discussing the modalities, approach and strategy,” said Tarigami. “Our chairman has already made it clear that we are not averse to talks.”Sources said the Gupkar leaders would decide that all of them, if they attend, will talk on Article 370 restoration even if the agenda is the delimitation process or poll.