Kashmiri pandit organisation slams Gupkar Declaration

An organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits 'India 4 Kashmir' on Monday slammed the Gupkar Declaration and said the community was at the forefront of the fight to revoke Article 370. The declaration is a resolution issued after an all-party meeting on August 4, 2019, at the Gupkar residence of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, a day before the Centre announced its decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status and split it into two union territories.

The organisation also condemned and disowned support to the declaration by certain fringe elements of the Kashmiri Pandit community. Kashmiri Pandits have always been at the forefront of the fight for the abrogation of article 370 and 35A, it said. The reaction comes after a delegation of Kashmiri Pandit entrepreneurs on August 27 called on National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah here and extended its support to Gupkar Declaration.

India 4 Kashmir has condemned and disowned support to the Gupkar declaration by certain fringe elements of the Kashmiri Pandit community, the organisations spokesperson in Delhi Sakshi Mattoo said. She also said a statement about the meeting reeks of suspicion as it does not mention a single name of the so-called delegation members that called on former chief minister Farooq Abdullah.

The Centre on August 5 last year had abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Col Tej K Tikoo, President All India Kashmiri Samaj, in his statement denounced the Gupkar declaration. He said "Kashmiri Pandits have always been at the forefront of the fight for the abrogation of article 370 and 35A".