Will press for restoration of special status for Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's all-party meeting, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said peace in the region cannot be restored without undoing the "illegal" and "unconstitutional" act of revocation of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) decided to attend the Centre's all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The announcement was made after the PAGD leaders met at Farooq Abdullah's Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting, Mufti said that she will press for the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir which was "snatched away from us".

"The agenda of the alliance, for which this alliance has been formed, what has been snatched away from us, we will talk on that, that it was a mistake and it was illegal and unconstitutional, without restoring which the issue of J-K (cannot be resolved) and the situation in J-K (cannot improve) and peace in the whole region cannot be restored," she said.

Mehbooba, who was flanked by other leaders of the alliance including its chairperson Farooq Abdullah, said the Centre should hold dialogue with everyone, including Pakistan, to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"They (India) are talking to the Taliban in Doha. They should talk with everyone in Jammu and Kashmir and with Pakistan as well for the resolution (of Kashmir issue)," she said.

The PDP president said her party was never against dialogue with the Centre but wanted some confidence-building measures for the people of Jammu and Kashmir like release of prisoners as in other parts of the country due to Covid.