STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Former Chief Minister and Chairman DPAP, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Friday asserted his commitment to protect the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by introducing a law in the Assembly that would ensure the security of jobs and land for the residents of the region.
“If elected to power we will bring a law where, no outsider would be allowed to buy land or secure jobs in J&K thereby preserving the rights and opportunities for the local people”, Azad said while addressing three public gatherings in South Kashmir’s Dooru, Qazigund and Devsar.
He said, in Parliament he had fought against the revocation of Article 370 and statehood.
However, he expressed disappointment with the current government, stating that nothing can be expected from them regarding these issues.
“People are suffering here,” he said and stressed the need for immediate action to address the challenges faced by the local people.
He assured that if his party comes to power, the first priority would be to provide free electricity to the poor and waive off electricity bills for those who cannot afford to pay.
He also stressed the need to create jobs in various departments to tackle the growing unemployment crisis. “My aim is to uplift the weaker sections,” he said, highlighting the dire conditions in rural areas.
“It pains me to see the condition in rural areas where the people are still without water, electricity, and proper roads. As Chief Minister, I tried my best to bring a revolution in development, but two and a half years were not enough. My government couldn’t survive long. Now, I need a chance to complete those projects, which were my dream. I want to build roads to every village and alleviate the suffering of the people”, he said.
Azad also voiced concern over the loss of many young lives due to the ongoing conflict and the rising trend of drug abuse, which he linked to the lack of employment opportunities.
“It is sad to see our youth turning to drugs, but we must first provide jobs to them,” he said urged the people not to be swayed by false slogans and empty promises.
“We need to focus on real development. We should not work for anything but the betterment of our state,” Azad stated while reiterating his commitment to creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and fostering peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir.
He asked the people to remain cautious of parties that raise false slogans to exploit the poor.
“These parties are doing politics for power, but my politics is to uplift the poor. No one is talking about development except my party”, Azad said and recalled his party’s efforts to fight against the land eviction order.
“We stopped the bulldozers”, he added.
Azad promised to bring back the Roshni Scheme, a policy aimed at benefiting the poor by providing them access to land.
He underscored his focus on real, tangible development, saying, “We need more districts, tehsils, hospitals, roads, schools, and jobs. That is our only priority.”
Among others present on the occasion included Mohd Amin Bhatt, Salman Nizami, Sofia Azad, Adv Saleem Parray, Bilal Deva and others.