Farooq Abdullah gets rousing reception on arrival in winter capital
Srinagar: The top mainstream leadership of Jammu & Kashmir has reached Jammu to hold maiden meeting of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in the region on Saturday in which they are expected to take a final call on whether to participate in the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) polls.
The members of PAGD started arriving in Jammu from Thursday ahead of their proposed meeting scheduled for tomorrow at Farooq Abdullah’s residence in Bathindi area of Jammu.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Awami National Conference (ANC) senior vice- president, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah reached Jammu on Thursday while the other leaders who are part of the alliance have also arrived in J&K’s winter capital on Friday.
Notably, PAGD is an amalgam of top mainstream leaders in Jammu and Kashmir who have formed an alliance to fight for the restoration of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State’s special status, which was abrogated on August 05, 2019.
Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that he held an hour-long meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) Bhim Singh. “The meeting was fruitful,” he said.
CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, who is convenor of the alliance, said that the deputations will start arriving at Farooq Abdullah’s residence from 10:00 AM. “The meeting of the alliance will be held in the afternoon,” he said.
He said different issues including the forthcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections as well as by-elections for Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies will be discussed in the meeting.
Meanwhile, soon after Farooq Abdullah reached Jammu, his party workers in large numbers were waiting outside Jammu Airport and welcomed him. The workers accompanied Farooq to party headquarters at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan in a car rally where he addressed the party workers gathering.
It is worth to mention here that PAGD has held two meetings so far in the Kashmir region. The PAGD has also reached Kargil where it got the support of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a group formed by Islamia School Kargil, Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust, Sahib-e-Zaman Trust Kargil, Jamiat-e-Ahli Sunnat, Ahle Sufian Naqshbandi and Students Movement Kargil—(KNO)
