Hold elections, let democracy flourish in J&K: Altaf Bukhari

URI: Apni Party president Syed Mohd Altaf Bukhari has urged New Delhi to hold assembly polls immediately in Jammu and Kashmir, restore its statehood and let democracy flourish in this part of the country.

Addressing a large public rally at Boniyar in Uri on Thursday Bukhari said that the people of J&K should not be deprived of the rights that are available to the citizens in other parts of the country. He said Apni Party has been struggling for the restoration of statehood and holding of early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir for several years.

Expressing his gratitude to the people for giving their support to Apni Party, Bukhari said, “It was due to the unconditional support from the masses that Apni Party has emerged as one of the most important political parties in the J&K within a short span of time.”

“Apni Party was launched post-August 5, 2019, and it was the time when there was absolute chaos in the entire Jammu and Kashmir due to the abrogation of Article 370 and the snatching of J&K’s statehood. At that time people were apprehensive about their future as they thought that J&K might lose its demography, and eventually, people here will lose their exclusive rights to land and employment opportunities. At that time thousands of youngsters were under detention and the whole J&K was closed. The traditional leaders were either in detention or they had chosen to keep mum in the newly emerged turbulent situation. But we choose to come forward and shouldered our responsibilities at that crucial time,” Bukhari asserted.

He said Apni Party leaders went to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and Home Minister to ensure no demographic change occurs in J&K. “We made the Centre to announce that there will be no demographic change in J&K and only J&K people will have right on the agricultural land and jobs. We did it despite the fact that some miscreants spread misinformation and criticized us harshly for meeting leaders in New Delhi,” he added.

Bukhari promised the people of Uri that when Apni Party will get a mandate to form a Govt, it will ensure that all the residents get economic dividends here. He said, “This place is full of natural resources, but I know that the local people have always been deprived of the dividends of these resources.”

Bukhari also demanded the release of jailed religious scholars Moulana Abdul Rashid Dawoodi and Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri. During rally many political activists from NC joined Apni Party.

The prominent party leaders who were present on this occasion included the party’s state convenor Haji Parvez, Constituency Incharge Uri Ch Mushtaq, Qazi Mohd Sheikh, Ch Rafiq Balote, Ms Shamshada Ji, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, Manzoor Ahmad Wani, Sajjad Sheikh, Nazir Ahmad Chechi, Mohd Miskeen, Nawaz Malik, Raja Maqbool and others.