Omar Abdullah said National Conference has got a formal invite to meeting with PM Narendra Modi
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said they have got a formal invite for an all-party meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Sources said PM Modi called the all-party meeting amid reports that the centre may discuss restoration of statehood and other important issues concerning the Union Territory. This is PM Modi's first major outreach to end the political impasse over ending Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019.
The meeting is scheduled for 3 pm on June 24, Mr Abdullah told NDTV.
Another regional party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has said they will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the centre's invite to the meeting.
"I have received a call for the meeting on June 24. I am expecting a formal invite today or tomorrow," Ms Mufti told NDTV. The former chief minister said her party will take a call on attending the meeting with the Prime Minister.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and top security and intelligence officers.
In August 2019, the centre ended the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Top leaders in Jammu and Kashmir - including Ms Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah - were arrested just before the centre announced the big decisions in parliament. The three former chief ministers were released later.
NDTV had last week reported that the centre was likely to start the political process that has been virtually non-existent since 2019.
The centre is also expected to discuss assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, due since 2018, when the BJP snapped ties with its coalition partner PDP.
The Gupkar Alliance or PAGD, the seven-party amalgam formed to campaign for the restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir - has indicated its willingness to join the talks.