Kashmir parties work to give alliance formal shape, Farooq could be head

Several sources told The Indian Express that there is broad consensus that National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, the most senior leader in Jammu and Kashmir, should head the alliance structure, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone should have important roles. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah will likely be part of the core group of the alliance.

At the first meeting of the alliance on October 15, leaders of the NC, PDP, People’s Conference, CPI(M), and Awami National Conference reiterated their commitment to the Gupkar Declaration of August 4, 2019, and discussed giving their grouping formal shape. The Congress and CPI were not present, but have extended their support to the alliance.

The meeting was attended by Farooq and Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone, MY Tarigami of CPI(M), and Muzaffar Shah of the ANC among other mainstream leaders. The meeting resolved to seek the restoration of the special status of J&K as it existed before the constitutional changes of August 5 last year took effect, and the erstwhile state was split into two Union Territories.

A charter that will serve as a vision document for the alliance is also in the making, for which all parties have been asked to submit their inputs.

“The previous meetings where different parties came together were in the absence of Mehbooba ji, so as soon as her detention was revoked (late on October 13 evening), we all came together. However, what shape the alliance takes will be deliberated in the next meeting,” the NC MP from Anantnag, Hasnain Masoodi, told The Indian Express.

The CPI(M)’s Tarigami said “discussion are taking place and details of how the alliance fights the constitutional changes of August 5 will be thrashed out in the next meeting”.

The alliance will likely have a common headquarters for its office-bearers. On August 4 last year, the signatories to the Gupkar Declaration – so named because they met at the residence of Farooq Abdullah at Gupkar Road in Srinagar – had vowed to “defend identity, autonomy and special status” of J&K.