Use votes wisely in assembly polls : Altaf Bukhari to people

Srinagar, Aug 22: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today appealed the people to use their votes wisely in assembly polls.

He also made a plea to them not to succumb to empty promises of tradional political parties again. According to a press release, Bukhari was addressing a public rally at Nadihal in Rafiabad.

“These elections will decide whether voters endorse a politics of truthfulness or deceit. It is a test for the people to decide if they will succumb once again to the empty promises of traditional political parties or support the Apni Party’s commitment to honesty,” he said.

Bukhari stated that unlike other parties, Apni Party will never mislead the people or deceive them for political gain. “These parties have always deceived you and garnered your votes by making false promises like 'Raishumari,' 'Autonomy,' 'Self-rule,' and so on. These days, they are trying to mislead you by promising to restore Article 370. You should not believe their false promises,” he said.

The Apni Party Preside viewed that if these parties had been sincere, they would not have taken the issue of Article 370 to the Supreme Court. “Instead, they would have pursued it through political channels. The court upheld the actions of August 5, 2019. By taking this issue to the court, they paved the way for closing the chapter on Article 370 and 35A,” he said.

Bukhari urged the people to support Apni Party for the protection of the rights of J&K people.He said, “We have a clear vision to ensure the restoration of democratic rights for the people, create employment opportunities, and, above all, secure the release of prisoners and exonerate the youth who are facing charges.”

“I assure you that the Apni Party will never disappoint you. We will never mislead or betray you for our political gain,” he added.

Lashing out at those who speak against the Apni Party, Bukhari said, “Two of the traditional parties have always been hand in glove with the BJP. The leader of one of these parties served as a minister in the central government during BJP's rule, while the other party paved the way for the BJP to gain power in J&K and formed an alliance with it.”

He stated that if given a public mandate in the upcoming assembly elections, the Apni Party will offer a general amnesty to the youth currently facing charges. He said that approximately 50,000 young people would benefit from this proposed amnesty. Also, he pledged that the Apni Party would fill two lakh government vacancies within six months of taking office.

He expressed his concern on the prevailing drug menace in the valley and said, “The future of our youth is at stake. Growing unemployment has driven many of them toward drugs. This menace has become a major problem for our society. On the other hand, thousands of our young people face charges. They are summoned to police stations, denied passports, and refused verification reports by the police. All of this must end. And I promise you that the Apni Party will effectively address these issues, if it gets the public mandate in the assembly elections.”