New Delhi: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was among the leaders part of the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu & Kashmir, said that the leaders raised five demands, including restoration of statehood for J&K at the earliest.
“Statehood should be restored at the earliest. We said [in the meeting] that the prime minister and the home minister had made a promise that the government would restore statehood. We said the favourable situation exists at present,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held an all-party meeting to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the future course of action for the union territory. Fourteen political leaders from J&K attended the meeting at the prime minister’s residence. This was the first such political exercise since August 5, 2019, when the Centre decided to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status.
The Congress party raised five demands during the all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, senior Congress leader and former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the party has raised five demands to the government. These were:
The five demands raised by Congress
1) Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir should be restored at the earliest. “The prime minister and the home minister had promised in Parliament to restore J&K’s statehood at the appropriate time. We told the government that now is the favourable situation for it,” Azad said.
2) Congress also demanded that assembly election in J&K should be held at the earliest.
3) Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Congress party also demanded that efforts must be made to ensure the return of Kashmiri Pandits and their rehabilitation. “This is our moral responsibility,” Azad said.
4) The fourth demand that the Congress raised was that the government should release all social and political prisoners who were arrested/detained on or around August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated.
5) Besides this, Congress demanded the government to provide guaranteed protection of domiciles on land rights and jobs in J&K.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a crucial meeting with 14 leaders, including four former chief ministers, to discuss the future course of action in the union territory.
PM Modi, accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, received the leaders from eight parties, including the National Conference, the PDP, the BJP and the Congress, at his residence.
Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, Principal Secretary to PM, PK Mishra, and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla were among the attendees of the meeting.
The four former chief ministers of the erstwhile state who were part of the meeting were: Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
Four former deputy chief ministers — Congress’ Tara Chand, People’s Conference leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and BJP’s Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta — were in attendance too.
CPI-M leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) chief Altaf Bukhari, Sajjad Lone of the People’s Conference, J-K Congress head G A Mir, BJP’s Ravinder Raina and Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh also formed part of the delegation. Web Desk
