Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs to visit Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh in August

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from August 17 to 22, sources said on Sunday.

PM Modi had on June 24 held the first high-level interaction between the Centre and political leadership mainly from Kashmir after August 5, 2019, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories.

Among the 14 leaders who participated in the meeting were Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and GA Mir; National Conference's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, J-K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari. The issue of restoration of statehood was also raised by several participants in the meeting.

The PDP chief told reporters after the 3.5 hour-long meetings that she has told the Prime Minister that the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not accept the manner in which Article 370 was abrogated "unconstitutionally, illegally and immorally".

"People of Jammu and Kashmir are in a lot of difficulties after August 5, 2019. They are angry, upset, and emotionally shattered. They feel humiliated. I told Prime Minister that people do not accept the manner in which Article 370 was abrogated unconstitutionally, illegally and immorally."