The day after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti was released from detention, National Conference leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah visited the previous Chief Minister to ask her to a gathering of the signatories to the Gupkar declaration at the senior Abdullah’s residence on Thursday afternoon.
In response, Mehbooba tweeted: “It was nice of you & Farooq sahib to return home. It gave me courage taking note of him. i’m sure together we all can change things for the better”. The Gupkar Declaration was issued on August 4, 2019, after a gathering of Kashmir’s mainstream political parties at Farooq Abdullah’s Gupkar residence unanimously resolved to remain united to guard to “defend the identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu and Kashmir”.
The special status was scrapped the subsequent day, and therefore the state was choppy into two Union Territories. The scheduled meeting on Thursday are going to be the primary time the signatories of the Gupkar Declaration will meet since the events of August 2019. On Farooq, Omar turn Mehbooba; Gupkar signatories to satisfy today
The mainstream political parties within the Valley issued a joint declaration reiterating their commitment to fight for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Mehbooba, who was under detention then, had given the go-ahead for the resolution over a call with the senior Abdullah. The resolution had vowed to stay by the Gupkar Declaration.
It was nice of you & Farooq sahab to return home. It gave me courage taking note of him. I am sure together we all can change things for the higher . https://t.co/48yc39Wjhb
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 14, 2020
Mehbooba on Wednesday also met leaders of her party at her residence.
“It was essentially a courtesy call as we were meeting after a really while . The informal discussion veered around to the political situation of Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior leader of the PDP who was present at the meeting told The Indian Express. “We had an appraisal of things of the last one year, and that we also discussed the challenges ahead”.
This leader said the overall opinion of PDP leaders was that the battle to revive J&K’s special status and position would be “long and tough”. “We were of the opinion that there are not any power goals and that we all need to strive together,” he said. Mehbooba has announced a news conference on Friday. The time and other details would be decided after Thursday’s meeting at Farooq Abdullah’s residence, a senior PDP source said.
In the evening, People’s Conference president Sajad Lone also paid a courtesy call to Mehbooba at her residence.