By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Aug 22: After a longtime Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) is all set to meet here on Tuesday to discuss the way forward.
The PAGD comprising of mainstream parties from Kashmir was formed last year to fight for the restoration of J&K’s special status. One of the important PAGD constituent, Peoples Conference, pulled out from the amalgam earlier this year after it accused the National Conference of filing proxy candidates in the District Development Council elections held in December 2020.
At present the PAGD comprises of six mainstream parties, including the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party. After the results of the DDC elections were declared the constituents of the amalgam have met rarely.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “The PAGD had come into existence as a collective front of the Valley based parties but it has not been able to do much as the political formations that constitute the amalgam have been pursuing the party centric agendas.”
He said, “Peoples Conference pulling out from the PAGD served as a jolt to the unification efforts. After PC’s exit the conglomerate seems to have gone hay wire.”
One of the politicians said that the PAGD’s meeting on Tuesday has been scheduled to revive the amalgam and this time around the meeting won’t be confined to senior leaders only. “The middle rung leaders too have been invited and there is a likelihood of nearly 200 people participating in the meeting,” he said, adding, “The meeting will be held at the Gupkar residence of the alliance chairman Dr Farooq Abdullah and it would be a different one from the earlier ones. This time it is not only the top leadership of the constituent parties which has been invited for consultations but the middle rung leadership as well,” he said, adding, “ The participants will be from the length and breadth of the Valley and around 150-200 leaders are expected to take part in the meeting.”
“The meeting will discuss the way forward and it is the first such attempt in the Kashmir by the alliance to get a broader perspective on the issues. We wanted to have this kind of consultation before but various factors like Covid prevented such a gathering,” the politician added.
An observer said, “Revival of political activities in Kashmir has been long overdue and Tuesday’s meeting could serve as a beginning. The outcome of the meeting will depend upon what the participants agree upon.”
PAGD looks towards reviving political activities, constituents to meet tomorrow
