JAMMU: Former Minister and Independent MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta on Saturday demanded New Delhi to immediately delink Jammu Province from Kashmir Division failing which aggrieved citizens would be forced to launch an aggressive campaign to achieve their objective of separate statehood for Jammu.
Flanked by prominent citizens and members of the Jammu for India, Pawan Gupta while interacting with media persons claimed, “We have our own political, social and economical aspirations which cannot be met under the failed 70 year old Kashmir dominated dispensation so we are ready to part ways from Kashmir and carve our separate State for Jammu”.
Gupta said, “We reject outright the demand of Kashmir leaders ranging from Autonomy to Self-Rule to Azadi to merger with Pakistan to free economic zone to religious state.
Seeking de-linking of Jammu province from Kashmir, he said that the demand is not parochial nor it is against Kashmir. “Our demand is both national and constitutional”, he asserted. On the occasion Gupta resolved to accomplish two goals –separation from Kashmir and a separate statehood for Jammu.
Meanwhile, in another related development leaders of the prominent Kashmiri Pandit organisation Panun Kashmir raised question marks over the visit of All Party Delegation to the State.
Claiming that they have not been invited to hold meeting with the delegation, Dr Ajay Churangoo of Panun Kashmir claimed Kashmiri Pandits, who were driven out of Kashmir valley continue to remain stakeholders and no dialogue is complete without involving them. He said in previous meetings and interactions the community members were accorded step motherly treatment and not given opportunity to be heard and the same mistake has been repeated this time as well.
He said Kashmir centric dialogue will not lead us forward and all the stakeholders must be taken on board to move further.