(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) Three key political movers in Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq and Omar Abdullah of the NC and Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, met a day after Ms. Mufti was released from a 14-month detention. The NC leaders invited Ms. Mufti to a meeting of all the signatories of the Gupkar Declaration on Thursday. The six parties are set to meet at 4 pm today. The Gupkar Declaration is a pact among the main political parties in J&K, except the BJP, to protect the autonomy of the State. It was signed on August 4 last year, a day before the Central government moved Parliament to take away J&K's Special Status under Article 370 of the Constitution along with its statehood. All major political leaders, including the Abdullahs and their political rival Ms. Mufti were detained under the Public Safety Act. After Farooq Abdullah was released in March, the Gupkar Declaration parties met again to issue a second statement on continuing the fight. There has not been much clarity so far on the course of action that the Gupkar parties will adopt in the fight for return to special status. There has also been some mixed messaging among the parties on the objectives of the Gupkar alliance. With Ms. Mufti back in action, today's meeting may throw up a clearer picture on the political future of J&K's mainstream parties, which is what makes this story important. |
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