Jammu, Jan 7, TEN Network | Post abrogation of Article 370, for the first time a delegation led by a senior politician, Altaf Bukhari, will meet Lt-Governor GC Murmu of the newly created Union Territory of J&K.
Official sources said Bukhari-led three-member delegation would submit a memorandum of demands to the Lt-Governor to move forward the political process, which got halted on August 5, after abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories — Ladakh and J&K.
Murmu was in New Delhi on Monday to discuss political and security situation of Jammu and Kashmir with Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Political activists should talk in unison for the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir. We have lost everything (state as well as Article 370 and 35-A) but we should talk to the Government of India in a realistic manner to see what we can achieve for the welfare of our people,” said a senior politician, who is part of the delegation.
“We will be meeting the L-G on Tuesday and see what brief he has received from New Delhi to lay out a future political map for Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
To start the political process in J&K, he said restoration of statehood, release of detainees and protection of land rights and jobs were enlisted as demands in the memorandum.
“There are apprehensions among people of Jammu and Kashmir that scope of jobs for them has shrunk and their land will be under attack. We will take up these concerns with the L-G and hope we will get a positive response from him,” he said.
Another politician said political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir had changed, which had created hopelessness among people. “Fortunately, some people are joining hands to work for bringing back the lost statehood,” he said. (Tribune)