Fulfill religious duties, don’t indulge in politics: Altaf Bukhari to banned Jamaat cadre

Wachi, Feb 15: Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari Thursday urged the former leaders and workers of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) not to indulge and get used in politics and instead fulfill their religious duties towards the society.

Addressing a public rally at Kunji Ular in Wachi, Zainapora constituency in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, he said, “I advocate for Jamaat-e-Islami to be permitted to fulfill its religious duties toward society because I firmly believe that our young generation requires the guidance of religious leaders to eradicate social evils. I believe that only religious leaders and religious organisations can effectively help us in combating menaces such as drug abuse in our society.”

Bukhari said that the ongoing drug menace was damaging the entire society and ruining the families of the victims who had fallen into the trap of drug abuse. The Apni Party President said that indulging in politics proved costly for the banned Jamaat.

“The orchards of its leaders and workers were cut by the rival party in 1977 as they believed that they were their opponents. Later another party stole their election symbol ‘Pen and Inkpot’ and green flags. Later even JeI supported the party, which ruled the state twice. But JeI was misused in politics and it had to pay the price,” he said.

Bukhari said that if he was talking about JeI, he was not doing so to get their votes.

“I am not doing so for votes. If anybody’s son is behind bars, I am talking about him with sincerity. I have to answer Allah for my deeds. Some political parties are going from office to office and New Delhi to defame me that I am talking for Jamaatis to get their votes. I am not doing so for votes,” he said.

Reaffirming his unwavering conviction regarding J&K’s relationship with the rest of the country, Bukhari said, “The undeniable reality is that J&K was destined to be an integral part of India in 1947, and it will continue to be so.”

However, he said that the Centre had “hurt the sentiments of the people of J&K over and over again, especially on August 5, 2019, by unilaterally abrogating Article 370 and Article 35-A.

Bukhari blamed the traditional political parties and their leaders for the abrogation of these articles, saying, “Those who held power over the past seven decades should have taken measures to ensure the permanence of these significant constitutional provisions.”

He urged people to stop being scapegoats for the emotional sloganeering employed by the traditional political parties and their leaders.

Bukhari said, “The emotional slogans and misleading narratives by the traditional political parties have yielded nothing for you, except for leading thousands of our youth either into jails or graveyards. It is your responsibility to prevent these ruthless politicians from further political exploitation. You should understand the undeniable reality that Jammu and Kashmir was destined to be part of India in 1947, and it will always remain so.”

He said: “We have received numerous wounds from the Centre, but still, I strongly believe that the solace for our emotional grievances and solutions to our problems will come from New Delhi itself.”

Bukhari said that the Apni Party, upon receiving the public mandate, would ensure that the people of J&K were provided with all the rights guaranteed to citizens by the constitution of the country.

“I assure you that the Apni Party will never disappoint you. We will ensure that the constitutionally guaranteed rights are restored to the people, and we will protect these rights to the fullest extent of our strength,” he said.

Taking a dig at the traditional political parties, Bukhari said, “The Centre would not have succeeded in harming the interests of the people of J&K if local politicians had not supported them in causing such damage. It was the responsibility of the leaders, in whom the people placed their trust, to safeguard our interests. Why did these leaders not make any attempt to make Article 370 and Article 35-A permanent even after they held power for years and decades in J&K?”

He said rather than safeguarding the interests of the people of J&K, these leaders kept them occupied with false promises and misleading narratives to serve their personal and political interests.