‘I am proud that I do not belong to any political family’
Uri: Taking a dig at traditional political parties, particularly those rooted in dynastic legacies, Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari said on Wednesday that “these parties and their leaders have always misled the people through deceptive political maneuvers.” He emphasized that “political families have always believed they were entitled to rule, treating the common populace as their subjects within Jammu and Kashmir”. He expressed pride in not belonging to any political family and thus not being involved in deceiving his own people.
Bukhari made these remarks during an event in north Kashmir’s Uri, wherein a number of respectable citizens and notable young activists joined the party in the distinguished presence of the party’s president.
Speaking at the event, Altaf Bukhari underscored how dynasties have harmed the interests of the people of J&K through their deceptive politics. He said, “As the people of Jammu and Kashmir, we have suffered hugely over the past seven decades because our leaders kept us busy with their deceptive political narratives and never told us the truth. Even Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the tallest leader of his times, used to change his stances time and again and did not tell the people the truth, despite being privy to the truth, as suggested by his famous Lal Chowk speech; he refrained from openly acknowledging it.”
He emphasized the need for transparent and genuine political discourse and said, “The truth is that J&K was destined to be a part of India in 1947, and we should have stuck to this reality. However, unfortunately, our leaders chose to manipulate the emotions of innocent people in their rallies by often resorting to symbolic gestures like displaying rock salt and green fabric to represent our neighboring nation.”
While expressing his goodwill towards the neighboring country, he asserted, “I hold sincere respect for our neighboring nation. However, my firm conviction is that the key to a dignified and prosperous life for the people of Jammu and Kashmir lies within our own nation’s boundaries and not elsewhere.”
Prominent party leaders present on the occasion included Choudhary Mushtaq, Qazi Mohammad Sheikh, Fazal Beigh, Najeeb Naqvi, Rafiq Balote, Farooq Tantray, Javed Pandit, Sajad Ahmad, Mehmood Bukhari, Ishfaq Lone, Raja Maqbool, Manzoor Lone, Azad Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad, Nazi Ahmad Chechi, Zahid Ahmad, Maqsood Sheikh, Haji Hanief, Sabir Khan, Jalal ud Din Sheikh, Syed Sharafat, and others. The program was organized by Javed Ahmed Bhat and Waseem Ahmad.
The new entrants who joined the party today included Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Zaffar ul Bhat, Naseer Ahmad Bhat, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, Jamid, Nasir Rashid Bhat, Sonaullah Tantray, Jallal ud Din, Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Aijaz Ahmad Budoo, and others.
