Cong, NC, PDP join hands to restore JK's special status

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, leaders of the NC, Congress, and PDP, which are among the six political parties calling for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, stressed that the people's dignity had been snatched, and also lashed out at the BJP-led Centre for adopting an undemocratic and unconstitutional approach.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Six major political parties have pledged a combined effort calling for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which the Centre had revoked a year ago.

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, the representatives of National Conference (NC), People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress shared their views on the resolution (Gupkar Declaration) and how they are going to struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

Salman Sagar, NC's youth wing's provincial president, claimed that the meeting of senior leaders which is being held under the leadership of party president Farooq Abdullah for the last few days is aimed at uniting the political leaders of the Valley so that the identity of Jammu and Kashmir can be restored.

"The National Conference is standing like a rock on the agenda of the Gupkar Declaration. Our party is bringing all the leaders under one umbrella so that the special status of Jammu and Kashmir is restored. This will not only bring back the identity but also the dignity of the people," Sagar said.

During the debate, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Monga and PDP's Rauf Bhat also echoed Sagar's views while stressing on the need to carry forward the commitment with sincerity.

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"I welcome the initiative taken by the NC president and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah. There is a need to carry forward this political commitment with sincerity and honesty so that we can fight for the identity and dignity of people together and in a better way," Monga said.

He also expressed his anguish over the leaders still being under detention for over a year now.

"Several leaders of mainstream political parties are still under detention because of which we are not able to resume our political activities. We don't have any facilities provided by the Jammu and Kashmir administration unlike Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). We don't have any security, any vehicle. How can we resume political activity?" he questioned.

PDP's Rauf Bhat claimed BJP and RSS have broken their party.

"The BJP government betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir. They have played with the feelings and sentiments of the people. Our party stands with NC, Congress and other mainstream parties of the Valley for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status," Bhat said.

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"BJP and the RSS conspired together and tried to break our party. Our chief and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir are under detention for over a year now. Why? The government has adopted an undemocratic and unconstitutional approach. We will fight this politically," he added.

At the end of the interview, Sagar highlighted the role of Members of Parliament for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A.

"Our MPs, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Akbar Lone and others, defended Jammu and Kashmir's status in the Parliament beautifully. We need them during the whole fight for the restoration of the special status. People must stop asking for their resignation. They are Jammu and Kashmir's voice at the Centre. A political fight can be won only through political platforms and the Parliament is the biggest of them all," Sagar said.

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