Critics, who see in the Gupkar Declaration a shadow of the erstwhile Plebiscite Front, say that these politicians were actually seeking to safeguard their future which had since settled down in the past. The Declaration was made at the sprawling lawns of the three-time Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s residence situated at Gupkar — hence the name Gupkar Declaration. Thomas Moore’s famous book, “Lala Rookh: An Oriental Romance”, published in 1904, carries a painting of ‘Gupkar Gaon’ (Gupkar Village). During Dogra autocracy, especially the reign of Hari Singh, Gupkar was a scenic landscape and sparsely populated. Pratap Singh’s another addition to Gupkar was the Gupkar Distillery, a wine manufactory.