Jammu & Kashmir: Gupkar Alliance leaders to attend all-party meet called by PM Narendra Modi on June 24

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah (File image)

The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of five regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, will attend the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24.

The decision was taken at the meeting held a the Gupkar road, Srinagar, residence of PAGD President Dr Farooq Abdullah on June 22.

"Mehbooba-ji, MY Tarigami sahib and I will attend the all-party meeting called by PM. We hope to keep our agenda before PM and Home Minister," Dr Abdullah told reporters after the meeting. He said that the leaders will put forth their demands of the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and statehood during the meeting.

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The PAGD constitutes the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M), the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) and the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference (JKANC)

The Bharatiya Janata Party's J&K unit president Ravinder Raina, two senior party leaders -- former deputy chief ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta -- will also take part in the scheduled meeting, which will be PM Modi's first interaction with all the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated the state's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories: J&K and Ladakh.

Also, read: Jammu & Kashmir's statehood to be restored, PM Modi to share roadmap at June 24 all-party meeting: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited as many as 14 leaders from J&K, including four former chief ministers of the erstwhile state for a meeting in New Delhi to be held on June 24. One of the four chief ministers is Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad. The Congress, however, is not part of the PAGD.

The invitees for the meeting with the PM include four former chief ministers National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti.

Also, read: BJP to hold emergency meet in Jammu to chalk out 'counter strategy' against Gupkar Alliance, says party's J&K unit chief

The June 24 meeting is being seen as the first crucial step by the Centre aimed at resuming the political process in Jammu and Kashmir and holding assembly elections ending the Central rule imposed in June 2018.

The PM is expected to urge leaders at the June 24 conclave to cooperate with the Delimitation Commission and set the electoral process moving.