Srinagar: The PDP on Friday said the party’s high command will decide over the participation in the meetings of the delimitation commission but asserted the people of Jammu and Kashmir have reservations over the whole exercise.
The party also said it will continue to be a part of the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) — the amalgam of six mainstream political parties seeking the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which was revoked by the Centre in August 2019.
“The people of J&K have some reservations about the whole process (delimitation). What is the reason that delimitation is going on at this juncture when it is not taking place anywhere else in the country,” PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari told reporters here after the party’s meeting.
Bukari said people of the union territory were raising questions over the exercise and have reservations about the intent of the delimitation.
“This whole process is under the Reorganisation Act under which Article 370 and 35-A were revoked and statehood was also taken away. As far as the party’s participation is concerned, the party high command will discuss the issue and then a final decision will be taken,” he said.
The delimitation commission will visit Jammu and Kashmir between July 6-9 and interact with political parties, public representatives and officials of the Union Territory to gather “first hand” information of the mega exercise to carve out new constituencies, the Election Commission had said on Wednesday.
Asked about the PDP’s stand over elections, Bukhari said a decision will be taken when that stage arrives.
“There will be discussions within the party over taking part in elections and as we reach that stage, a decision will be taken,” he said.
On a question whether the party was still a part of the Gupkar alliance, Bukhari said, “We are a part of the PAGD and the agenda and the thought process on which it was formed — the restoration of Article 370 and 35-A, the struggle for the constitutional and political rights of the people of J&K — is there and we are all together,” the PDP spokesperson said.
He said there was no question of the alliance breaking as it “represented the hope of the people of J&K and the struggle for the rights of the people”.
When questioned about the PAGD’s meeting being postponed because of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, Bukhari said she had prior commitments.
“Mehbooba had just come back from Delhi and had some personal engagements and the visit to Awantipora was planned to express sympathy with the family of a policeman who was killed along with his wife and daughter. There are no differences and these are all speculations,” he said.
Earlier, Mehbooba presided over a meeting of district presidents of Kashmir province of the party.
Bukhari said the party’s meeting discussed “some important” organisational and political matters.
