Former PDP leader Altaf Bukhari launches ‘Apni party’

“Core agenda restoration of statehood, domicile rights on land, jobs”
Srinagar, March 8(KNS): Former PDP Minister Altaf Bukhari on Sunday launched his own party party ‘Jammu and Kashmir Apni (own) Party’ (JKAP) on Sunday who said is aimed to provide relief to the people “facing challenges since August 5 last year,.

According to Kashmir News Service Correspondent , the party includes 30 members, including 22-23 ex-legislators/ministers from various political parties such as PDP, NC, Congress and Democratic Party Nationalist.

Saying that Kashmiris cannot perpetually mourn the abrogation of Article 370, he said time has come to strive for achievable political objectives.

“ Our core agenda is restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and its residents’ domicile rights on land and jobs,” said Bukhari,.

Bukhari said he had been waiting for the last seven months with the hope National Conference and the PDP would raise the issues confronted by the people.

“But they did not unfortunately. Political parties don’t cease to exist once their leaders are arrested. Most of their leaders have been released. We were of opinion they would talk about issues, but they didn’t. So we thought it is important to raise issues,” Bukhari said.

“We have resolved to create a viable, political platform that functions in accordance with the wishes of people and where the people are the real stakeholders of the political process, he said, naming the political party as Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (J-KAP),” he added.

Regarding the statehood and other issues, Bukhari said there is a yearning for the restoration of the statehood. “We will raise this issue? Bureaucracy is acting like as if there is martial law imposed in J&K. J&K Bank has been converted into sub-office of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB). We are aware of these issues and will raise all of them,” said Bukhari.

“After August 5, a lot of things changed here. People are in despair, there is slump in tourism sector and local industries have shut. Challenges are huge. Our endeavor would be to see how we can restore the semblance of these things,” he added.

Informed sources said that the main focus of the party will be the politics of development and that the outfit will have representatives from Jammu and Kashmir, while it is also likely to include the Kashmiri Pandits.

Further stressing on the focus of the newly-formed political party, Bukhari stressed on restoration of confidence-building measures between New Delhi and Srinagar. “People are feeling the absence of credible voices, who can take up their issues and get them addressed,” he stressed.

Bukhari said party will be a local party with national outlook and added his party would be different from other parties as it was not floated by families — an apparent reference to the National Conference and PDP.

Regarding the abrogation of article 370, he said it is a subjudice matter and prays that decision is in favour of Jammu and Kashmir.

Bukhari said the party was an outfit “of the commoners, by the commoners and for the commoners”.
Notably, KNS had reported earlier a week ago that Bukhari will launch his political party on March 8 in Srinagar.

In January, Bukhari-led delegation presented a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu listing measures for the revival of political activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has been unanimously elected as the President by the members of his new political party. The ex-PDP minister’s name for the post of President was proposed by former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir and was seconded by former legislator and Chief Secretary Vijay Bakaya and other ex-legislators.
The meeting over dinner took place at the residence of Altaf Bukhari at Sheikhbagh Lal Chowk on Saturday evening. All the participants in the meeting later unanimously reposed their support and elected Bukhari as their President.

The political leaders who participated in the meeting included Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Usman Majeed, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Abdul Majeed Padder, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Javed Beig, Rafi Mir, Zaffar Manhas, Abdul Rahim Rather, Raja Manzoor, Kamal Arora, Yawar Mir, Noor Mohammed Sheikh, Javed Mirchal, Shoaib Lone, Choudhary Qamar, Syed Asghar Ali, Adv Mir Javid , Faqeer Mohammad, Muntazir Mohouddin, G.M. Bhawan, Hilal ahmad Shah, Neilangan Arora, Vikram Malhotra, Mudasir Amin, Mohammad Ashraf Dar, Samiullah, Kavel Singh, Jagmohan Singh Raina, Manjeet Singh, Irfan Naqeeb, and Farooq Andrabi, among other prominent leaders from across Jammu and Kashmir.

Almost all the leaders addressed the meeting and deliberated on the prevailing socio-economic and political situation which has emerged after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, sources told KNS.
In January, a Bukhari-led delegation had presented a memorandum to J&K Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu listing measures for the revival of political activities in Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS).

PDP terms Bukhari-led formation “B-team of BJP”

Srinagar, Mar 08 (KNS): Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday termed the launch of new political outfit led by Syed Altaf Bukhari as “B-team of BJP”.

Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), PDP State Secretary Abdul Hameed Kousheen said, Bukhari led new political outfit is mere B-team of BJP.

He said on one hand three former chief ministers including Mehbooba Mufti, Dr Farooq and Omar Abdullah are under detention and are not allowed to come out to carry out their political activities but on the other hand situation is quite different.

“Mr Bukhari and few people are freely allowed to carry out political activities which clears depicts they have doing this under the patronage of BJP and as such the group have started working as B-team of BJP in Jammu and Kashmir”.

While hitting out to those who left party after August 5, 2019, Kousheen said, during detention after New Delhi scrapped Article 370, these leaders have shown loyalty to BJP and after release they joined the ranks in order to save themselves from further trouble and harassment.

Termed the disloyal leaders as “opportunist”, PDP leader said recently party expelled 10 of its members who met Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu without having any official consent and now instead of serving people by heart they are keen interested to build their political career by jumping into the lap of B-team of BJP.

When asked whether Bukhari’s Apni Party will bring any solace to people of Jammu and Kashmir, he said it can do nothing for the interest of people of J&K.

“The Bukhari led Apni Party is incompetent in convincing New Delhi to restore any sort of concession to J&K. So pinning hope upon new formation is nothing but wastage of time”, he said. (KNS).

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