PAGD holds meeting; current situation in J&K, delimitation recommendation on agenda

The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Tuesday met here and one of its senior leaders said the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission, set up to redraw the union territory’s assembly seats, will be discussed. The meeting of the alliance of five Jammu and Kashmir-based mainstream political parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the PDP, comes after the commission is learnt to have proposed six additional seats for the Jammu region and one for the Kashmir Valley in its ‘Paper 1’ discussed with the PAGD’s constituents on Monday.

This is the second meeting of the PAGD in Jammu since its formation in 2019. The amalgam held a meeting in November last year as well.

The meeting of the leaders of the alliance in being held at the Bhatandi residence of NC president and PAGD chairperson Farooq Abdullah here. The PAGD seeks the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that which was revoked by the Centre in August 2019.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami is also attended the meeting which took place even as a small group of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal activists, led by their president Rakesh Bagrangi, held a protest a few kilometres away from the meeting venue.

“We are meeting here to discuss the prevailing situation and the draft prepared by the delimitation commission,” Tarigami, who is the PAGD’s chief spokesperson, told reporters before taking part in the meeting.

The alliance’s political parties have already presented their views over the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission, which “we believe is meant to further divide the communities and regions and will create uncertainty”, the CPI(M) leader said.

The Valley-based mainstream political parties have expressed dismay over the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that it seems the exercise was carried out in furtherance of the BJP’s political agenda.

“It is highly divisive and unacceptable,” Tarigami said.

Amid chants of “shot the traitors’, Bagrangi said they are protesting against the PAGD leadership for holding their meeting in Jammu as “they are a group of traitors.”

“They are only speaking against the nation and pressuring the government to talk with Pakistan,” he said and condemned the alliance’s stand on the delimitation recommendation.

“We were in favour of all the seven seats going to Jammu region to end discrimination with the region,” he said.