SRINAGAR: Dr Farooq Abdullah led a delegation of the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) met Panthers Party founder and former Member of Parliament, Prof Bhim Singh. The breakfast meeting took place before the PAGD’s Jammu meeting at Dr Abdullah’s Jammu residence at around 11 am.
In the afternoon, Prof Singh issued a statement saying that Dr Farooq Abdullah insisted Prof Bhim Singh over a cup of tea to let them know where he stands in the present crisis J&K is facing. Here are the main paragraphs from the statement that Panthers Party issued:
“Prof Bhim Singh thanked Dr Farooq Abdullah for seeking his stand to resolve the present crisis in J&K. Prof Bhim Singh told the senior Kashmiri leadership that he stands for restoration of statehood without delay with all fundamental rights provided in the Indian Constitution. He also told the leadership from Kashmir that he and the Panthers Party have been pleading with the President of India to convene a meeting of the Parliament to reconsider the restoration of Article 370 on merits. He told his Kashmiri friends that he has been fighting in the Supreme Court for many years in his writ petition seeking removal of Article 35-A of the Constitution. That the Panthers Party stood for restoration of fundamental rights to all the residents of J&K which was possible only after removal of Article 35-A which was valid only for six months as it was issued by the President of India in 1934. He said that fundamental rights in J&K stand hampered because of Article 35-A. This is the Panther Party’s stand that residents of J&K should be provided all fundamental rights without delay. The Panthers Party is opposing the application of J&K Public Safety Act which has become invalid after the removal of Article 35-A.
Prof Bhim Singh told the leadership from Kashmir that the Panthers Party’s stand for immediate revival of statehood of J&K which was founded in 1846 by Maharaja Gulab Singh.
Prof Bhim Singh National Panthers Party supremo accompanied by party colleague Anita Thakur interacting with the members of the PAfGD in Jammu today. @JKNC_ @jkpdp @MehboobaMufti @sajadlone @masoodi_hasnain @tarigami @MuzzafarShah1 #JavaidMustafaMir pic.twitter.com/cUxxvKbfR6
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 7, 2020
Prof Bhim Singh also conveyed to NC President and other senior leaders from Kashmir that the Panthers Party stand for immediate Assembly elections in J&K so that the democratic government may go for delimitation and some kinds of reorganization of J&K because separation of J&K is strongly opposed by him and his colleagues. Re-organisation of J&K without separation of J&K from each other is the stand where he (Bhim Singh) and his colleagues’ stand. Bhim Singh said that the party stands for immediate revival of the State of J&K with immediate return of Governor in the state and state elections without delay. He said that the people of J&K stand for secularism, democracy and rule of law.”
Those who attended the meeting include former Chief Ministers, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, State Secretary CPI-M Yousuf Tarigami, Sr Awami National Conference leader, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah.
