Former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all-party meeting has assured that Jammu and Kashmir will emerge as a zone of peace rather than a zone of conflict.
Baig also stated that everyone in the meeting raised the demand for restoration of the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The majority of the leaders asked for the restoration of the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. The special status matter of Jammu and Kashmir is pending in the Supreme Court. So, one has to wait for the judgment of the Supreme Court," Baig said to the media personnel here.
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leader Baig further said, "The PM Modi said that it is necessary to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir becomes a zone of peace rather than a zone of conflict."
"First delimitation process should take place, after that they will make a call for the election in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
The most significant point is that the meeting took place a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) held virtual discussions with its representatives in Jammu and Kashmir and deputy commissioners regarding the delimitation of the 90 Assembly constituencies in the Union Territory.
As per sources, the meeting was attended by 20 deputy commissioners from Jammu and Kashmir.
"Administrative difficulties faced by the deputy commissioners with respect to the assembly constituencies were discussed," the sources said.
Meanwhile, People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone said that the meeting was held in a very cordial manner.
"We came out quite positive that hopefully there will be some delivery for the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Lone said.
The high-profile all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir concluded at Prime Minister's official residence in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
The meeting began at around 3 pm and was attended by 14 prominent leaders from the Union Territory.
This was the first high-level interaction between the Centre and political leadership mainly from Kashmir since August 5, 2019, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the state was bifurcated into two union territories.
Among the leaders who are participated in the meeting were Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and GA Mir; National Conference's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, J-K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari; BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh, and Kavinder Gupta; CPI(M)'s M Y Tarigami; National Panthers Party's Prof Bheem Singh; and Peoples Conference's Sajad Gani Lone.
Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Home Secretary also attended the meeting.
Earlier in March this year, the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir, which was set up in March 2020 to redraw the parliamentary and assemblies constituencies, got a one-year extension from the Central government.
The delimitation panel, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, was set up only for one year. Later, the panel got A gazette notification was issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on March 3, 2021, in this regard.
( With inputs from ANI )
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