Altaf Bukhari questions Mehbooba’s claim

Srinagar, Sep 10: Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari Tuesday questioned Mehbooba Mufti on remarks she made on Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) saying that the AIP did not field any candidate from Bijbehara constituency.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has fielded Mufti’s daughter Iltija from south Kashmir’s Bijbehara constituency.

Earlier, the PDP chief raised questions over the functioning of AIP and alleged that the AIP was a proxy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was functioning to divide votes in Kashmir.

“I appeal to the people of Kashmir to beware of proxy parties like AIP. They are backed by powerful forces and tasked to divide the votes in Kashmir,” Mufti said.

Bukhari said that Mufti had herself admitted that she fights elections without money.

“If she knows where from she gets her monetary support it is possible that AIP has the same source as well,” Bukhari said.

Talking to Greater Kashmir during his door-to-door election campaign in Bagh-e-Mehtab area of his constituency, the Apni Party President said that he had heard Mufti saying that she did not have any money to fight elections.

“But if she can fight elections without money, and form a government, then AIP can also function without money,” he said.

Bukhari said that instead of pointing fingers and leveling allegations, Mufti should answer why AIP had not fielded their candidate in Bijbehara constituency.

“Mehbooba Ji should answer if AIP has fielded candidates in every constituency against everyone, why not in Bijbehara,” he said.

Bukhari asked Mufti to reveal why Ram Madhav had to come to Kashmir when he was not appointed as the in-charge here.

“Maybe old memories, old relations have got revived,” Bukhari said, hinting at the PDP-BJP alliance made in 2015.

Referring to the statement of senior Congress leader Vikar Rasool against National Conference (NC) leaders and party, Bukhari said that honest people always speak the truth.

“The other day, Mian Altaf said that the decision of the NC to stitch an alliance with Congress was wrong. Vikar Rasool also made a statement. People still remember 1987. The alliance between Congress and the NC has a long history of spilling of blood. May Allah protect us from bloodshed this time,” he said.