Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday urged the central government to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir before the assembly elections are held.
Addressing a party rally at Keller in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, Bukhari urged the union government to restore statehood to J&K before the assembly elections are held here.
He said, “Since the Union Government has committed that it will restore the statehood to J&K, it will be a great initiative if the commitment is fulfilled before the forthcoming elections.”
“Statehood is something that the J&K’s people feel a longing for since it was snatched away on August 5, in 2019”, he added.
Bukhari also demanded the youth of Kashmiri who are currently behind the bars should be given a chance to get back into the national mainstream.
“The Apni Party wants that these youngsters should be given an opportunity to get into the fold of the mainstream”, he said and added, “We cannot overlook the fact that they are our own kids, thus, the Apni Party would suggest that the government should form a committee to look into the cases of these young people and see if they are willing to get a chance for a peaceful life.”
He said, “Shopian has great potential in the horticulture and tourism sectors. The apple from Shopian is much-admired for its best quality. We can improve the production and fruit quality further by deploying the latest scientific methods.”
Bukhari said, “Our policy is very clear. We want sustained peace, durable prosperity and development of Jammu and Kashmir, and economic empowerment of its people”.
Talking about Apni Party’s post-August 2019 role, Bukhari said, “People feared that they would be pushed to the wall further. But the Apni Party took the initiative of meeting the Prime Minister and Home Minister and ensured that our land and jobs are secure”.
He said “We made the Prime Minister and Home Minister announce that there will be no demographic change in Jammu and Kashmir.”
UNI
