J&K saw peace but no development during last 5 years: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Sept 20: The Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari Friday said that Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed peace during the last five years but no development took place in these years.

Talking to Greater Kashmir during his door-to-door election campaign in the Channapora assembly constituency, Bukhari said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become habitual of speaking against the National Conference (NC) People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Congress during elections but later forms government with the support of these parties.

“The PM had come here to campaign for his party. But as per his routine, he criticised these three parties. But when the government has to be made, BJP forms it with the support of NC and PDP,” he said.

Bukhari said that in 2014 too, the PM attacked these parties but later formed the government with the PDP.

“In 1998, it was made the government with National Conference. That is why these statements remain confined to speeches only and there is no point in commenting on this,” he said.

On Omar Abdullah’s statement that PM Modi had nothing to speak about other than attacking the NC, PDP, and Congress, Bukhari said that there was nothing for the PM to sell in terms of development.

“But in terms of peace, there is a lot to speak about because Kashmiris are very happy as there has been peace for five years,” he said.

Bukhari said that children were not killed during the last five years.

“We are happy with that,” he said.

However, he said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had suffered a lot as the bureaucracy from outside was not able to address their problems.

“They have made us suffer,” he said about the bureaucrats posted in the civil secretariat.

About the problems faced by the people in the Channapora area, Bukhari said that nothing had changed in the area during the last 10 years.

“People are facing a lot of difficulties. I have seen that there has been no progress on the works which were left incomplete 10 years ago,” he said.

Bukhari said that the government makes tall claims of development but there has not been any progress on the ground.

“What have they done? The status of development is the same as we had left it. There is a problem with the drainage system on the lane that I am walking on. There was no drain here at that time. We started the work on it but it was left incomplete. After that, no one has completed all these years,” he said.