Srinagar: Led by Omar Abdullah, the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration on Friday visited Drass and Kargil areas of Ladakh to extend support to its people and put forward the manifesto of their amalgam, which aims to restore the rights snatched away from the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
This was for the first time since abrogation of Article 370 last year that a battery of regional political leaders of J&K had visited and met people of Ladakh, which was downgraded to a Union Territory and separated from Jammu and Kashmir State by the government of India.
Addressing a gathering in Drass, Omar Abdullah said that the decisions taken on August 5 last year will never be accepted. He said the decisions were enforced upon the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the absence of an elected assembly.
“We’ll never accept the decisions taken on August 5 last year. We will fight against all that has happened till now and won’t back away from this fight, till we succeed in our ultimate goal of restoring the pre-August 5 status”, Omar said.
Omar was accompanied by several other leaders including Muzaffar Shah of Awami National Conference, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora of Peoples Democratic Party, Waheed Ul Rehman Parra of Peoples Democratic Party, Nasir Aslam Wani of National Conference, and Ghulam Rasool, Executive Councillor (LAHDC) for Kargil.
Omar said that the delegation had come to hear from the people of Drass and Kargil and to provide them with the belief that they were not alone in this fight.
“It’s our collective fight,” Omar said.
It doesn’t matter, Omar said, that Kashmiris live on the other side of Zojilla pass, for their hearts and minds beat in unison with the people of Ladakh.
Omar said that the experience of visiting Kargil and Drass was totally different and strange this time, as the name of J&K had been erased on sign-boards.
“It felt like we were not going to our homeland but to some different neighbourhood. We arrived like guests here, while as before it never felt so,” he said.
Omar said that there has been a huge injustice with people of J&K in the form of dividing the state against the will of people.
‘’Whenever there has been a bifurcation of state into different parts, it has been done taking into consideration the decisions and consent of local people. But here, all the rules have been flouted,” Omar said.
Omar gave examples of certain states which have undergone bifurcation in the past with the acceptance and endorsement of its people. “We’ve seen in Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and lately in Andhra Pradesh states that the bifurcation was done by taking into confidence all the local people, besides seeking their acceptance and support for the decision,” he said.
He also said that this was no time for political parties of J&K to fight against each other. He said that it had become imperative for all political parties to forget all differences and fight for the common cause.
“Today, it becomes a responsibility of all of us to forget all such things as election, government, chair, and power. That’s why we all have come on a single platform joined by ANC, PDP, CPIM, Peoples Conference,” he said.
Omar said that the People’s Alliance will reunite the people of Ladakh with J&K. “We will continue to fight for you, and raise your voice on all fronts. We will knock at every door, and won’t settle until the decision taken in August last year is revoked to give back the state its original shape, compromising Leh, Kargil and all areas of Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Muzaffar Shah raised the slogan of unification between J&K and Ladakh: “Jammu, Kashmir, Kargil, Ladakh Ek Tha, Ek Rahega (Jammu, Kashmir, Kargil and Ladakh were one, and will remain so),” he shouted.
Omar later tweeted that a meeting was held with the Kargil Democratic Alliance during the visit, which was also attended by former MLA Kargil, Asgar Karbali.

KALEEM GEELANI