‘Not Anti-National’: Farooq Abdullah to be Gupkar Alliance Chief

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti will be the vice president of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.

Omar Abdullah (left), Mehbooba Mufti (centre) and Dr Farooq Abdullah.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

The recently floated People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of mainstream Kashmir parties for the reversal of constitutional changes made in Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August last year, has been given a formal structure on Saturday, 24 October.

National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah has been appointed as the president of the alliance, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti as vice president and People's Conference leader Sajad Lone as the spokesperson and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Yousuf Taragami as convenor.

“A document will be prepared within a month via which we'll present facts behind the lies that are being propagated. It'll be a tribute to the people of J&K who are being slandered," Sajid Lone was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Along with NC President Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar was also present at the meeting.

Speaking after the meeting, Abdullah said that they are not anti-national, but anti-BJP.

“It’s not an anti-national <i>jamaat</i>, our aim is to ensure that the rights of people of J&amp;K and Ladakh are restored. Attempts of dividing us in the name of religion will fail. It’s not a religious fight.”

Farooq Abdullah, as quoted by ANI

About The Gupkar Alliance

Earlier in October, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah had announced the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, with the aim to restore J&K's Constitutional status as it existed before 5 August last year.

The announcement had come after an all-party meeting at Abdullah’s residence in Srinagar, that was attended by Omar Abdullah and Mufti, who was released after over a year in detention earlier this month.

With this, the political parties in Kashmir gave a formal shape to their alliance formed after the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)