STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, on Wednesday, said that Apni Party will always stand by the oppressed and speak for everyone who is subjected to suffering in Jammu and Kashmir.
He was addressing a public rally in the Ijara area of north Kashmir’s Uri, today. The party workers and residents gathered at the rally venue to extend a warm welcome to the party president, Bukhari, and his accompanying leaders.
Addressing the rally, Bukhari said that he and his party will always stand by and speak for those who are subjected to surfing in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “The Apni Party is dedicated to supporting those who are oppressed or needlessly subjected to miseries and hardships.”
He said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing tough times and blamed the traditional political parties and their leaders for the prevailing situation.
He said, “We are enduring hardship solely because the parties and leaders whom we had entrusted with our mandate over the years betrayed our trust for their own political gains. These parties never engaged in negotiations with New Delhi for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir; instead, their aspirations were always centred on seizing power for themselves.”
Bukhari explained it further, saying, “The traditional political parties, especially the two family-based parties, always bargain with New Delhi for attaining power and remaining in power, and New Delhi always brought them to the power corridors. To begin with, New Delhi bestowed power to NC post-1947, without any genuine public mandate.”
He went on to say, “NC government was ousted from power by the majority of legislators in 1984 to pave the way for good governance and to get rid of the family rule here. The honorable high court later affirmed that the government was removed through democratic means. The change of the government at that time restored the dignity of the elected representatives and ushered in an era of development and abundance of employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir. However, just three years later, in 1987, New Delhi allowed the same party to seize power again, despite it rigging the elections here.”
“The consequences of the electoral rigging resulted in the tragic loss of two lakh lives in Jammu and Kashmir in the subsequent years. Once again, in 1996, the NC opted for power without actively pursuing negotiations with New Delhi for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir’s interests,” he added.
Talking about the sufferings of the people in Uri, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, “The residents of this area have endured years of cross-border shelling, yet when it comes to providing essential facilities, they have been left high and dry. Despite the presence of two major hydroelectric power projects in this region, the locals have not received any economic dividends from these projects. The lack of infrastructure is evident, even in the fields of health and education here.