Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari on Sunday said that despite being the problem creator in Kashmir, New Delhi holds the key to viable solutions in the valley.
Bukhari said the Apni Party will ensure the solutions to J&K’s problems come from New Delhi.
He said: “The solutions to our problems, created by the centre, lie with the centre. And, I promise you that if the Apni Party receives the mandate to form the next government, we will ensure that New Delhi addresses all these issues to our utmost satisfaction. Everything that is required for Jammu and Kashmir’s prosperity and development would come from the centre.”
He said that Jammu and Kashmir is destined to remain a part of India, and New Delhi holds the resources and capacity to resolve the problems and challenges J&K is facing, especially post August 5, 2019 when the Article 370 was abrogated.
Bukhari was addressing a party convention at Reshnagri in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Asking youth not to be swayed by emotional slogans of the traditional political parties, Bukhari promised people that the Apni Party would ensure ideal solutions to the issues that farmers and orchardists in J&K are facing.
Demanding an inquiry into the reasons behind the violation of norms regarding the provision of cold storage facilities in Shopian, he said: “The previous governments allotted and allowed establishing of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage to benefit certain individuals with political connections. And, now these CA storage owners are exploiting the vulnerable growers by imposing unfair conditions on them.”
“These CA storages have become advantageous only for the privileged people, while poor farmers are subjected to sufferings,” he added.
“Once our party is elected, we will designate horticulture as an industry. Also, we will be establishing ‘Apple Villages’ in Shopian and other suitable locations to harness and nurture the natural potential in the horticulture sector,” he said.
Bukhari urged the people not to fall prey to the emotional slogans or unattainable goals that are used by the traditional political parties and their leaders solely for their own political gains.
He said: “While fighting against the country, we have tragically lost thousands of our youngsters either to jails or graveyards so far. We cannot bear the burden of further deaths and destruction on this land because the future of our youth and generations to come is at stake. Therefore, we must be honest with ourselves, stop following unattainable goals, and not be swayed by emotional slogans anymore.”
Lashing out at those engaged in a defamatory campaign against Apni Party, Bukhari said: “Imagine a leader who, despite her own sister appearing as a witness advocating for the execution of a separatist leader, now accuses the Apni Party of being a party of ‘Ikhwanis’. These so-called leaders must be ashamed of themselves for orchestrating such a malicious campaign against the Apni Party.”
“Do they think that people have forgotten the crimes that they committed while they were at the helm of affairs in J&K? They must know that they stand exposed in front of people, as the people have faced the brunt of their ruthlessness,” he said.
On this occasion senior vice-president of the party, Ghulam Hassan Mir, while addressing the convention, emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir requires sustained peace for its enduring prosperity and development.
He said: “Unfortunately, the traditional political parties have consistently engaged our younger generations with deceptive slogans like ‘Rai Shumari’, ‘Autonomy,’ ‘Self-rule,’ and similar rhetoric for several decades. As a result, we lost sight of crucial matters such as employment opportunities, well-being, prosperity, and overall development. Today, Jammu and Kashmir lags far behind the rest of the world. In fact, our traditional politicians, driven by their own vested interests, have left us in a state of darkness, and our youth now bear the burden of this political gimmickry.”
Taking a dig at the parties like NC and PDP, Mir urged the people not to be caught in the trap of deceptive and fake promises by these traditional parties and their leaders anymore.