Srinagar, Oct 16: A day after political parties gave formal shape to their alliance formed after revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year, senior National Conference leader and Member Parliament Justice (Retd) Hasnian Masoodi Friday said they would strive till Article 370 is restored.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Thursday convened an all party meeting at his residence which was attended by leaders of six political parties including Mehbooba Mufti. After which Farooq said, “ People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration aims to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status as it existed before August 5 last year,” said Farooq Abdullah. “The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration favours initiation of dialogue between all stakeholders for resolution of the J&K issue,” he added.
On Friday National Conference leader Hasnian Masoodi said all parties are united for restoration of Article 370.
“We had a special status given by the constitution in 1947. Those who revoked it did it illegally, unconstitutionally and are anti-people. New Delhi has also started realizing that the August 5 decision was wrong and did not serve any purpose,” he told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The National Conference Member Parliament said they will strive till special status of Jammu and Kashmir is restored. “If there are domicile and land rights for people of North East then why our special position was snatched from us,” he asked.
The Gupkar Declaration is a resolution issued after an all-party meeting on August 4, 2019, at the Gupkar residence of the NC president. The resolution, passed a day before the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and split it into two Union territories, said the parties unanimously resolved they would stand united in their effort to protect and defend the identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu and Kashmir against all attacks and onslaughts.
The parties had met again in August this year and vowed to fight for restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
While BJP National vice president Avinash Rai Khanna said Article 370 won’t be restored. He said that people of Jammu and Kashmir have nothing to do “with this so-called Gukar Declaration”.
“Political parties in Kashmir are trying to sell another false dream to the people which can never be possible. The Gupkar agenda has been coined in Kashmir in an attempt to hoodwink the people and for Farooq and company to save themselves,” Khanna said.
“People know that when they were in power, they committed sins with impunity. The controversial Articles did nothing except digging an ocean of misunderstandings and retarding the growth and development of the erstwhile state,” he said. (KINS)
