Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting with 14 political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, including four former chief ministers of the erstwhile state, in the national capital on June 24.

This is the first such exercise since the Centre’s decision of revoking Article 370 — a provision that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir — and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories in August 2019.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reached out to the Jammu and Kashmir leaders to invite them to the meeting at PM Modi’s residence to discuss the future course of action for the Union territory.

The political leaders received the invite for the meeting over the phone, officials quoted as saying by PTI.

List of invitees

The leaders invited to the meeting include four former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

Four former deputy chief ministers of the erstwhile state — Congress leader Tara Chand, People’s Conference leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig, and BJP leaders Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta are among others who have been invited to the meet.

CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) chief Altaf Bukhari, Sajjad Lone of the People’s Conference, J-K Congress head G A Mir, BJP’s Ravidner Raina, and Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh, too have received an invite for the meeting.

The political leaders have been asked to present the COVID-19 negative report.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders are also likely to be present at the meeting.

Agenda

The meeting is said to be a part of the Centre’s initiatives to strengthen political processes, including holding Assembly elections, in the union territory.

The Centre’s Article 370 move and the subsequent detention of political leaders of the mainstream parties are some of the other issues that are also likely to come up at the meeting.

The mainstream political parties of the Union territory, mainly those with a strong base in Kashmir Valley, have been criticising the successive administrations for allegedly ignoring the demands of the people and raising questions on the development slogan raised post-August 2019