Congress to attend all-party meeting on Kashmir

The meeting should have a specific agenda, says J&K Congress chief

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President, Ghulam Ahmad Mir. File

The Congress has decided to attend the all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24.

The decision was taken on Tuesday after party president Sonia Gandhi held a virtual meeting with top leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Union Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, P. Chidambaram and veteran leader Karan Singh.

 

It also comes after the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration — an umbrella of mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir — decided to participate in the meeting.

“The Congress has always favoured the process of dialogue and if Mr. Modi has made a beginning, we should attend. But the meeting should have a specific agenda,” Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir said.

For the last couple of days, senior Congress leaders including Mr. Chidambaram and Randeep Surjewala have been demanding restoration of full statehood and holding of elections.

“We believe that undoing it [taking away the status of full statehood] is a direct attack on democracy and constitutional principles,” Mr. Surjewala had said on Sunday.