Gupkar Declaration Alliance leaders visit Kargil
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 30: To solicit the support of people of Kargil district in newly created Union Territory of Ladakh, the senior leaders of Peoples Alliance from Kashmir led by former Chief Minister and working president, National Confer-ence (NC), Omar Abdullah today visited Kargil and held talks with leaders of Democratic Alliance of Kargil besides addressing public meetings at Drass and Kargil in support of the struggle launched by them for restoration of special status to J&K.
Other leaders of the Alliance who accompanied Omar, included People’s Democratic Party(PDP) general secretary and former Minister, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Awami National Conference, vice president Muzaffar Shah National Conference provincial president, Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani and PDP youth president Wahid Parra.
Addressing a public meetings’ at Drass and Kargil, Omar made it clear that the Alliance will not rest till it gets the decisions of August 5 and October 31 last year revoked and special status to J&K restored. He said there is not only anger and resentment against the BJP led Central Government’s decision in Kashmir but even people in Jammu region as well as Kargil are opposed to it. Even a section of people in Leh too is not happy with the decisions, he added.
He complimented the leaders of Democratic Alliance of Kargil for raising their voice against the decision and said they (Alliance leaders) had visited Kargil on the directives of Peoples Alliance, chairman, Dr Farooq Abdullah and its vice chairperson, Mehbooba Mufti. Omar said that the Alliance will knock every door including court of law and it will not rest till the decisions of August 5 and October 31 last year are revoked.
He said that to ascertain the ground situation in Kargil district they were directed by the senior leadership to visit there to seek the views of the leadership and people of the area. He said earlier the decisions were taken in Kashmir but this time they decided to visit Kargil and see the people’s mind there too.
“We did not want to convey the Delhi Government that people of Kargil are also against the decision of Central Government without your consultation and after reaching here we came to know that the people of Kargil too oppose the decision and want its immediate revocation”, Omar added.
Making a scathing attack on BJP, he accused the party of hatching a conspiracy against all of them. “They tried to give our narrative a Muslim colour and call it a Pak agenda, Muslim agenda and anti national agenda which is not true”, he added.
“The people who are talking of their rights are being dubbed as anti national and pro-Pak” he said.
Omar made it clear that their fight is not against the nation but against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “and neither BJP is India nor India is BJP”. Refuting the allegations of BJP, he said Peoples Alliance has not any religious or regional agenda but it is the agenda of the people of erstwhile J&K State belonging to all three regions. “It is the agenda of the people of erstwhile State of J&K”, he asserted.
While referring to recent land laws decision, he said even a section of people in Jammu region also oppose it and they too are not happy with the August 5, 2019 decisions.
Expressing his satisfaction over the support extended by the Democratic Alliance and people of Kargil, he said that such understanding is needed in future too.
While terming the decisions of August 5 and October 31 last year under which Articles 370 and 35 A were abrogated and the J&K was divided into two UTs by the then Governor, he termed it unlawful. He said this decision was not taken by the State Assembly or the elected Government but the Governor without obtaining the people’s view.
Omar said in past while dividing other States of country like Punjab which was divided in three States of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Bihar which was bifucated in Bihar and Jharkhand, MP which was divided into two parts by carving out separate State of Chhattisgarh from it and also the Andhra from which Telangana State was carved out, the people of these States were taken into confidence first. “But no such decision was taken in case of J&K and the decision was thrust on the people of the erstwhile State without their wishes”, he added.
The former Chief Minister said that they are within their right to launch the struggle for their rights as they are fighting under the Constitution of India.
Earlier to string an emotional chord with the people Drass during the public meeting there enroute to Kargil, he said. “It was for the first time while crossing the Zojila mountain we did not see the board of J&K anywhere except the name of Ladakh”. “It looked strange to us for the first time that we are not going to meet our own people but are visiting a strange place”.
He, while stressing on unity among all parties, said “Earlier we and PDP leaders were fighting with each other but now it is the time that we should forget this all. Today we all are on one platform whether it is NC, PDP, Peoples Conference , CPI , CPI (M) and Awami National Conference (ANC). We are not contesting elections but our fight is that the decisions of August 5 last year be revoked and J&K Special Status be restored”.
He asked the people of Kargil and leaders of Democratic Alliance not to think themselves alone in their fight but Peoples Alliance is also at their back.
Addressing the gathering, PDP leader Ghulam Nabi Lone appealed to the people of all three regions of J&K to maintain the unity at this crucial juncture as J&K is passing through a critical phase.
Senior Congress leader of Kargil and ex MLA Asgar Ali Karbalai, Qamar Ali Akhoon senior NC leader, Haji Hanifa Jan, president NC Kargil, Nasir, Municipal president Congress Committee Kargil and sitting councilor, LAHDC, Kargil, Sheikh Bashir , Sajad Kargili, representative Islamia School Kargil, Syed Mohammed Shah, president Anjuman-e-Sofia Noorbakshia Kargil and sitting councilor, LAHDC Kargil, Shanawaz War, representatives of Ahle Sunanr Wal Jamat Kargil, Agha Sayed Ahmad Anjumana Saphibazaman and Murtaza Ali vice president, SEMOK Ladakh.
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