JKPF to hold WG’s members meet on Jan 10

“Ever since the release of report of 5^th Working Group on Centre-State relations by Justice (Retd) Sageer Ahmed, the majority of political opinion in the three regions of the state is disappointed,” was today said by Mr Ramesh Sabharwal, Convenor, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum (JKPF) while addressing a press conference here today. He also disclosed that JKPF is holding a meeting on 10^th of this month at Jammu Club at 3p.m. where all the members of the Working Groups have been invited to express their views and this step was taken in view of the confusion and wide spread resentment about the report. When asked he said that the response is healthy from the members. He said that the protests and rejection in various circles link it to some clandestine understanding with the separatists and Nation Conference engaged with the Home Minister of India in the name of Quiet Diplomacy. He also said that the recommendation made in the report with regard to Article 370 of the Indian constitution is quite vague. However, when asked by the State Observer that there is no difference between Ex-Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Justice Sageer report as the former had said during the NDA rule that unless and until J&K State Assembly recommends the abrogation of Article 370 it can’t be abrogated. Mr Sabharwal said that the first Prime Minister, Pt Nehru had said that this Article would be rubbed away gradually, and what Mr Alat Bihari Vajpayee said was to suit the time because of compulsion. Prime Ministers say different things at different time, he added. He further said that the report is silent about the opinion of other parties, groups and individuals and the ball has simply been thrown in the Prime Minister’s court to take a decision for restoration of Autonomy to the extent possible and that too after receipt of self rule document. In the report the discrimination with Jammu and Ladakh on different fields has not been projected and addressed according to the ground realities, he lamented.