The People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Tuesday warned the government against misinterpreting the “graveyard silence in Kashmir as normalcy” and demanded the restoration of the pre-5 August 2019 special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The PAGD leaders, who met at the Srinagar residence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, also asked the government to “stop humiliating” people in J&K as the trend might have “dangerous consequences,” said the Alliance’s spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami while briefing media persons after the meeting.
The PAGD adopted a resolution demanding restoration of Articles 370 and 35A that were scrapped in 2019. Tarigami said, “We had gathered here today to send out a message throughout the country that restoration of statehood and Articles 370 and 35A is the constitutional right of J&K and Ladakh.”
Second-line leaders of the PAGD constituents were for the first time invited in the meeting. Besides Dr Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigam, and Awami National Conference leader Muzaffar Ahmad Shah were among those who attended the meeting.
Tarigami said it was unfortunate that the “government takes pride in causing humiliation on us. It is unacceptable to people of Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh”.
“Unjustified and repeated raids” of central agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the leaders seem to be aimed at “projecting the opposition leaders as criminals in J&K”.
Besides, “voice of people is being muzzled. It might have dangerous consequences for the entire nation. This cannot sustain for long,” Tarigami said. He accused the Lieutenant Governor’s administration of sidelining local officers and assigning top positions to outside officers.
Referring to the government’s claims of development in the union territory, Tarigami said these claims have been exposed as people in Jammu have also started raising their voices against the lack of governance and development.
He urged the government to give out names of political prisoners released after the 24 June meeting of J&K leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The domicile law has become a hurdle in business and jobs as the youth is not getting government jobs as per the new law, Tarigami said.