Barring PDP and ANC, all major J-K political parties to meet Delimitation Commission

Srinagar: Barring the PDP and the ANC, all the major political parties in Kashmir will meet the visiting Delimitation Commission which will arrive here on Tuesday to gather first-hand inputs to redraw constituencies in the union territory.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Awami National Conference (ANC)are constituents of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD).

The PDP has decided to stay away from the delimitation process, alleging the body lacks constitutional and legal mandate and is part of the overall ”process of political disempowerment” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a two-page letter written to Ranjana Desai, a retired supreme court judge heading the panel, general secretary of the party Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said the PDP has decided not to be part of ”some exercise, the outcome which is widely believed to be pre-planned and which may further hurt the interests of our people”.

In its letter to the Commission, the ANC informed that it will not take part in the proceedings as the setting up of the commission has been challenged before the Supreme Court.

”As such it will not be proper to interfere with the working of the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” ANC general secretary Mir Mohammad Shafi said in the communication.

However, other parties have decided to meet he visiting delegation and have nominated their representatives.

The National Conference (NC) has named a five-member team to meet the commission and put forward its suggestions, a party leader said.

The party has nominated Abdul Raheem Rather, Mohammad Shafi Uri, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Nasir Aslam Wani and Sakina Ittoo to meet the commission, he said.

The Congress party’s delegation comprises of its Jammu and Kashmir unit president G A Mir, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Taj Mohiuddin, Bashir Ahmad Magrey, Surinder Singh Channi and Vinod Koul, a party leader said.

From the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference led by Sajad Lone, four members will meet the delegation. They are Bashir Ahmad Dar, Mansoor Hussain Soharwardy, Mohammad Khurshid Alam and Mohammad Ashraf Mir.

The Jammu and Kashmir Apni party led by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari has nominated Ghulam Hassan Mir, Zaffar lqbal Manhas, Usman Majid, Rafi Ahmad Mir and Mohammad Ashraf Mir.

The National Panthers Party has chosen Syed Masood Andrabi, Manzoor Ahmad Naik, Hakikat Singh Jamwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar and Hakeem Arif Ali as their representatives to meet the commission.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Sofi Yusuf, G M Mir, Surinder Ambardar and Altaf Thakur as its representatives.

The other parties which are going to meet the commission include the Bahujan Samaj Party, Jammu Kashmir Peoples Movement, Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

However, senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami is not part of the party’s delegation.

The commission has also called district bodies of various political parties to interact with them.

Some district presidents and representatives of district bodies of the parties including the NC, Congress, BJP and the Apni Party will meet the visiting delegation.