Sajad Lone's J&K People's Conference ousts former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu from party

Disassociating from former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu, Sajad Lone's J&K People's Conference (J&K PC) on Saturday, clarified that Mattu's association with the party ended weeks ago. Mattu had strongly opposed the party signing the Gupkar Declaration headed by Farooq Abdullah's J&K National Conference. He had also lost the no-confidence motion in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in June, earning him his mayor seat.

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J&K PC ousts Junaid Mattu

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Mattu ousted as Srinagar Mayor

Earlier in June, removed as the SMC mayor after BJP and J&K NC passed a no-confidence motion against him with 42 votes out of 70. His own party - J&K PC and Congress' 28 corporators abstained from voting. Mattu, who has survived a no-confidence motion in the past, claimed the BJP and the National Conference have joined hands in Srinagar. The Congress, which has 17 corporators, had issued a whip asking its members not to take part in the no-confidence proceedings.

Reacting to his ouster, he said, "I respect the verdict of the Corporation. The seemingly unthinkable seems to have happened as JKNC and BJP have come together in Srinagar. Time to spend some time with my family after nearly four months of our war against COVID19".

'Committed to strive for restoration of Art 370, 35A': J&K parties a year after Gupkar

The Gupkar declaration

On August 22, a year since the revocation of Article 370 and 35 A, six political parties in Jammu and Kashmir who were signatories to the previous 2019 Gupkar declaration, reiterated that they are committed to strive for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A. "We are committed to strive for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, the Constitution of J&K and the restoration of the state and any division of the state is unacceptable to us. We unanimously reiterate that there can be nothing about us without us," NC president Farooq Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, JKPCC chief GA Mir, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, JKPCC leader Sajad Gani Lone and ANC leader Muzaffar Shah said in a joint statement.

Supporters of Gupkar Agenda are supporters of Pakistan: BJP

The statement called the abrogation of the special status under the two Articles "spitefully shortsighted and unconstitutional move" and observed that the measures have "unrecognizably changed the relationship between J&K and New Delhi". The statement urged the leadership of India and Pakistan to take due notice of the ever-increasing skirmishes at the LAC and LOC resulting in casualties on both sides and unabated violent incidents in J&K and work for enduring peace in the region. BJP lashed out at the statement saying 'supporters of Gupkar Agenda are supporters of Pakistan'.