New Delhi: As a precautionary measure, the security forces in the Kashmir Valley have been put on a high alert ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s all-party meeting with political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir on June 24. As reported by the Northlines earlier, the security grid in the Valley was reviewed in a core group meeting co-chaired by J&K’s Director General of Police, Lieutenant General and General Officer Commanding of XV Corps, and some gaps were filled.
There are unconfirmed reports that Internet services in the Union Territory of J&K could also be snapped on Thursday.
This will be PM Modi’s first interaction with all the mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated the state’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories: J&K and Ladakh.
Here are the top developments:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an all-party meet of political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir. The invitation was accepted by leaders of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Congress and a number of other J&K-based parties.
- As many as 14 leaders from J&K including four former chief ministers of the erstwhile state – Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti – have been invited.
- Prof Bhim Singh of the J&K Panthers Party, who will also be attending the meet, said no agenda had been set for the all-party meeting. “Despite the opposition, I would say that PM Modi showed courage and intelligence by calling the meeting,” said Bhim Singh.
- Former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta and J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina left Jammu for New Delhi on Wednesday. A former ally of the BJP,Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, was also seen leaving Srinagar to attend the all-party meet.
- The all-party meeting comes nearly two years after Parliament voted on the abrogation of Article 370.
- The meeting is being seen as the first crucial step by the Centre aimed at resuming the political process in J&K and holding assembly elections.
Agenda of all-party meet
In fact, the meeting comes at a time when the Delimitation Commission for J&K is holding deliberations with stakeholders and is likely to present a report. This report, based on the 2011 Census and submissions by district collectors from across J&K, could lead to the possibility of assembly elections in the UT.
While the Centre has not set an agenda, delimitation, statehood and other key issues are likely to be discussed during the all-party meeting on Thursday.
