Addressing party activists on the second foundation day of the J&K Apni Party (JKAP) on Tuesday, the party chief Altaf Bukhari urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the emotional aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh by taking urgent confidence based measures before the upcoming elections.
He demanded early restoration of statehood and elected governments both in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Taking into consideration the plight of business community and the alarming rate of unemployment, he urged the Prime Minister to announce a special package for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Addressing the main function at Srinagar, Bukhari gave a detailed thought and the circumstances that led to the formation of Apni Party in March 2020. He also highlighted the prevailing political logjam saying that the union government must consider early elections as soon as possible in Jammu and Kashmir so that people have their elected government in place.
He appealed people of Jammu and Kashmir not to misconstrue assembly elections with an exercise that can revoke the decisions taken on 5 August 2019. “Don’t fall prey to the political maneuvering who will try to garner your support with such hollow slogans,” Bukhari observed, adding that the people of J&K must hold political parties accountable for their poll promises and the delivery on ground.
“The legislative assembly in UT of J&K is not even mandated to restore Statehood not to talk of restoration of Article 370 and 35-A. Popular government in J&K can represent your developmental aspirations and the people will have a complete say in the day-to-day governance,” he remarked, while recalling how some regional political parties had asked for votes in district development committee elections for the sake of restoration of J&K’s lost special status.
He said that rather than mudslinging on each other, the traditional political parties of J&K should introspect how they have always ditched the people on different political pretexts and slogans. While recalling the political deceits of the traditional political parties that reasoned a perpetual socio-economic and political instability in the region; Bukhari said the unemployment rate in J&K has jumped to almost 22 percent during the rule of these parties leaving the educated youth high and dry.
Condemning the recent grenade attack at Amirakadal in Srinagar in which two people including a young girl lost their lives, Bukhari said; “Kashmir has seen enough of bloodshed and now the time has come to change this whole scenario.”
Attacking the Gupkar Alliance, Bukhari said that Apni Party is not against any political alliance including that of PAGD but it will always criticize its “falsehood and hoax claims being made to befool the public in J&K”. “PAGD leaders made tall claims regarding their boycott in the electoral process, however, they were the first who contested the DDC elections in pretext of restoration of Article 370. They are not concerned about the restoration of Article 370 but the lust of power. This is why we are against their lies and political deceit.”
Bukhari said that since its inception, Apni Party has never claimed or promised anything that is not achievable in terms of the prevailing situation.