Kashmir: If Delhi is Far, Meeting of Minds Farther Still

Against the backdrop of the Prime Minister meeting with Kashmiri leaders, a campaign to polarise Kashmiri Muslims from the Sikhs is on. Politics over identity and sensitive issues such as inter-faith marriage must not be allowed to mingle, writes RAJA MUZAFFAR BHAT from Srinagar.

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ON Monday, the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an amalgam of Kashmir-based mainstream political parties, said that it is disappointed with the outcome of the all-party meeting held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 June in New Delhi.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and other groups said the government of India has not realistically approached resolving the problems of the region and its people. The PAGD has also demanded Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir only after its statehood gets restored.

"All the members of the PAGD expressed their disappointment at the outcome of the Delhi meeting, especially the absence of any substantial Confidence Building Measures such as releasing political and other prisoners from jails and taking concrete steps to end the siege and atmosphere of suppression that has choked Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.

Also read: June 24 Meeting Has Only Widened Gulf Between Delhi and J&k People

"This would have initiated the much-needed process of reaching out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are the biggest stakeholders and sufferers of the Jammu and Kashmir problem," reads the statement.