The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, the seven-party amalgam of mainstream Kashmir parties demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, appointed National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah as its president, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti as vice-president, and decided the flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir would be the flag of the alliance.
The decisions came at a meeting of alliance constituents, some of whom are arch-rivals, at Mufti’s Gupkar Road residence here. “It’s not an anti-national alliance, it is an anti-BJP alliance… BJP wants to divide the country, our aim is to ensure that the rights of the people of J&K and Ladakh are restored,” Abdullah said.
Cong appears to distance itself from PAGD
Congress appeared to distance itself from the PAGD with J&K PCC president GA Mir staying away from two meetings of the conglomerate. Sources close to the regional Congress unit said this was because of what they described as a “twist” in the objective of the basic demand for the restoration of special status to J&K, a reference to recent statements from Mehbooba to the effect that she would raise the tricolour only when the J&K flag, too, was allowed to fly. The source said Congress had raised the issue of the nullification of Article 370 in Parliament but the PDP Rajya Sabha members had not spoken a word on it in the Upper House.
Won’t hoist tricolour: Mehbooba
Mehbooba Mufti said members of her party would not raise the Indian tricolour unless they are allowed to raise the flag of Jammu & Kashmir, the right to which had been conferred on the erstwhile state by the now-defunct Article 370 of the Constitution. In her first interaction with the media after her release from 14 months in detention, Mufti said she had no interest in fighting elections unless the special status of Jammu & Kashmir is restored.
Flanked by three senior party leaders, the PDP president placed the party flag and the flag of the former state on a table in front of her. Mufti said the relationship of J&K with the national tricolour was not independent of the erstwhile state flag. Pointing towards the flag in front of her, she said: “When this flag comes in our hand, we will also raise that (Indian) flag as well.”
