Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 12: The alleged flop show of the all party meeting called by former Chief Minister and National Conference, President, Dr Farooq Abdullah has put the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration or PAGD on the deathbed, quite literally.
While some of the prominent parties from Jammu and Kashmir including the Peoples Conference, Apni Party and the one headed by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad stayed away from Dr Abdullah’s political show here, the key faces of the PAGD also remained conspicuous for their absence.
What is equally shocking is that there was no reference of the PAGD in the party meeting and “none of the issues as would be highlighted by the so called Gupkar alliance were discussed.” Ironically Dr Abdullah is also the head of the PAGD.
Sources said most of the leaders from Kashmir are thinking as to what prompted the NC president to call for such a meeting in Jammu when most of senior leaders of the invited parties were in Kashmir and as to why the PAGD wasn’t discussed.
“See most of the faces remained absent and thus it seems that he (Dr Abudllah) wanted to make a show of his power in which the all party failed quite literally,” said a political observer.
He said the PAGD has lost relevance as the people of Jammu and Kashmir are no more interested in the discussion over the so-called special status of the erstwhile state.
Camping in Jammu, Abdullah chaired a meeting with leaders of more than a dozen parties earlier in the day on March 11. The meeting culminated with a decision to meet the Election Commission (EC) in Delhi for early Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and the restoration of its statehood.
The meeting was held at Farooq Abdullah's Bhatindi residence. After the meeting, he said, “Today, Jammu Chamber of Commerce has given a bandh call against property tax. Youths are being lathicharged. This shows that the situation is not good in J&K.” |
