Bukhari seeks clarification from Centre on non-locals voting rights
Srinagar, Aug 18 : Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to clarify the statement given by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on non-locals voting rights in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference here, Bukhari said: “I appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to clarify the confusion created among the people of Jammu and Kashmir by CEO seems to be a more serious one after the abrogation of article 370 in 2019.”
“May be these attempts are being made to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir,” Bukhari observed.
He questioned “how it is possible a person can vote in two places if he is residing outside of Jammu and Kashmir”.
He said: “If we go through the law of the land our children who are studying in outside states of Jammu and Kashmir are not being given the right to vote there…how is it possible that outsiders can vote here,” he questioned.
He said the Indian government should come clean on this issue so that the uncertainty feeling among the people of Jammu and Kashmir should be clarified. He said the Political parties here have also raised this issue in their meetings.
He said on August 14, the Prime Minister had assured that the demography of Jammu and Kashmir would not be changed and “I want to remind the Prime Minister about his promise he made”.
“I am sure that the CEO was not right if we go through the law of the land. We hope that they will clarify it from their side before it is too late. We will wait till Sunday and hope the government of India will clarify its stand,” Bukhari said.
He said that the Apni Party will meet again on Sunday and hoped that the government of India will come clean by then.
In a question about whether he is going to attend the meeting called by the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Bukhari said: “Unless the public interest is involved we have nothing wrong with any political party.”
He said: “We have no indifferences with the PAGD except they are not speaking truth before the people.”
“Jammu and Kashmir is different from other states of India although we all know after August 5 much water has flown down the well, but that does not mean that anybody will be allowed to change the demography,” he added.
“Let me assure you all that the Apni Party will fight with all its might to see that the demography of Jammu and Kashmir is not being changed,” Bukhari further added.