JOIN USCentre calls 14 Jammu and Kashmir leaders for talks on June 24
At least 14 political leaders, including three former chief ministers, have been invited by the Center to attend an all party-meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi on June 24.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla called up top J&K leaders, including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti (all former CMs) for attending a meeting with the Prime at his residence in New Delhi on June 24 at 3 PM.
Besides, the Abdullahs and Mufti, veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, J&K BJP chief Ravender Raina, J&K Congress chief G A Mir, Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari and Panthers Party patron Bhim Singh have been invited by the Center for June 24 meeting.
Four former deputy chief ministers of J&K – Muzaffer Hussain Beigh, Tara Chand, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta – have also been invited for the meeting.
The NC and the PDP presidents while confirming the invitations said they will convene party meetings on Sunday to decide whether to participate in the meeting chaired by the PM or not.
“There is no clear cut agenda regarding the talks with New Delhi. However, I have called the political affairs committee of my party for a meeting to discuss the same on Sunday,” PDP president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti said.
NC chief Farooq Abdullah also said they have convened a meeting on Sunday to discuss the invitation and to “frame an agenda if we decide to participate in the same.”
Sources told DH that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and top security and intelligence officers on Friday in New Delhi was the first direction in the process of reviving the frozen political process in J&K.
On 5 August 2019, the centre revoked Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also bifurcated the state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Top politicians - including Mehbooba, Abdullah and his son Omar - were arrested hours just before the Centre announced the mega decisions in the parliament. They were released months later.
The meeting - the first such step from the Centre to end the political impasse in J&K after 5 August 2019 - is likely to be attended by Amit Shah and other central leaders.