Apni Party prioritises reconciliation over confrontation: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Oct 29:Apni Party President AltafBukhari Sunday said that his party advocates reconciliation as the primary approach to free the people from the extensive destruction caused by years and decades of confrontations.

A statement of the Apni Party issued here said that addressing a public meeting in the SoribalKonibal area of Pampore constituency in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Bukhari urged the government to take necessary steps for reconciliation and foster a peaceful environment in J&K.

Explaining the purpose and policies of Apni Party, he said, “Recognising the vulnerable state of the people of J&K, who have suffered years of bloodshed and turmoil, Apni Party was established to ensure reconciliation, protecting the people from further losses, and making peace and prosperity a reality in this land.”

Expressing his deep concern regarding the current state of affairs, Bukhari said, “We continue to endure suppression. Many of our youth remain in jails, while those striving to build their careers confront unwarranted obstacles in job and passport verifications imposed by authorities.”

He said, “We observe that the verifications of job applicants and passport seekers are obstructed by the concerned authorities merely because a relative of the applicant was involved in some past wrongdoing. This practice needs to be stopped to open up opportunities for our youth to flourish in their careers.”

Taking a dig at the traditional political parties and their leaders, Bukhari said, “These parties and their leaders who mourn the loss of young lives in Gaza these days forget that they, while in power, ruined the lives of thousands of youth in J&K by putting them in jails.”

He said, “Over the past 70 years, these parties and their leaders deceived the public, using emotional slogans and false promises like ‘autonomy’ and ‘self-rule’ to secure votes and power for themselves. They had promised to obtain autonomy and self-rule, but did they achieve these objectives despite being in power for years and decades? These parties formed an alliance called PAGD, claiming they would safeguard Article 370 and Article 35-A. Did they protect these constitutional articles from being abrogated?”

Bukhari appealed to the people not to fall for the false promises of these political parties.

He said, “It is your responsibility to convey to traditional political parties and their leaders that enough is enough. They underestimate your intelligence and repeatedly return with hollow promises. You must prevent them from exploiting your emotions.”

Apni Party General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir and Apni Party’s Provincial President, Kashmir, Muhammad Ashraf Mir also addressed the gathering.