Gupkar Declaration 2.0: Will fight for full statehood, restoration of special status, resolve all parties

SRINAGAR:  Sending out a strong message to the Center, almost all major political parties on Saturday resolved to fight for the restoration of special status and full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir that existed before August 4, 2019. For the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the signatories to Gupkar Declaration managed to establish “basic level of communication with each other in the face of a series of prohibitive and punitive curbs imposed by the government, aimed at impeding all social and political interactions”.

A National Conference spokesman said the limited confabulations held within the constraints have resulted in the unanimous resolution. 

The signatories to the resolution include Dr. Farooq Abdullah, president, National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti, president, Peoples Democratic Party, GA Mir, president, J&K Pradesh Congress committee, Sajad Gani Lone, President, Peoples Conference, MY Tarigami, CPI (M) and Muzaffar Shah, vice president, Awami National Conference.

“The unfortunate events of August 5, 2019, have unrecognizably changed the relationship between J&K and New Delhi. In a spitefully shortsighted and unconstitutional move, Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated and the State was bifurcated and relegated to the status of two Union Territories and its Constitution tried to be made unenforceable,” read the joint statement.

Leaders said the series of measures undertaken on August 5, 2019 were grossly “unconstitutional and in reality measures of dis empowerment and a challenge to the basic identity of the people of J&K”. “The measures attempt to redefine who we are. These changes were accompanied by repressive measures meant to silence people and coerce them into submission and continue unabated,” read the statement.

Leaders said these are testing times and times of pain for the peace-loving people of J&K. “We all reiterate our commitment to collectively fight to restore the Special Status of J&K as guaranteed under the Constitution and the commitments made from time to time. There is unanimity amongst us that a collective institution is an effective way to fight for these rights and tirelessly struggle to get back the special status and restore the Constitutional guarantees forcibly taken away, against our will. We want to assure the people that all our political activities will be subservient to the sacred goal of reverting to the status of J&K as it existed on 4th August 2019,” read the statement.

 While expressing gratitude to the people of India, the leaders appealed intelligentsia and other civil society groups to continue their support till “unconstitutional measures of August 5, 2019, are undone and the special status of J&K restored”.

 “We exhort leadership of the subcontinent to take due notice of the ever-increasing skirmishes at the LAC and LOC resulting in casualties on both sides and unabated violent incidents in J&K and work for enduring peace in the region,” read the statement .

Political leaders stood by the Gupkar Declaration and pledged to strive for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, the Constitution of J&K and the restoration of the State. “Any division of the State is unacceptable to us. We unanimously reiterate that there can be nothing about us without us,” the statement read.