Srinagar, Apr 25: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today made a fervent appeal to the migrant Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) living in different parts of the country to return to their homes in Kashmir.
He said, “Your Kashmiri brethren will protect you here.” Bukhari was talking to media persons on the sidelines of an election rally of the Apni Party at Khansahib in Budgam district. “Dignified return of our migrant Kashmir Pandit brethren is the agenda of the people in Kashmir. It is not the agenda of any particular political party. I make them a fervent appeal to return to their homes in Kashmir. Your Muslim brethren will protect you,” the Apni Party President said.
He squarely blamed the traditional political parties in Kashmir for the decades-long human tragedies and sufferings. “They are not still giving up their politics and deceit. I challenge the leaders of traditional political parties for a debate at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Let them debate with me, I will expose their misdeeds,” Bukhari said.
The Apni Party president stated that his party will support the government in the centre, which will restore statehood to J&K, give employment to unemployed youth, and release the jailed Kashmiri youth. “I will not support that party whose President’s bank account has been frozen,” he said.
Earlier, addressing the rally, Bukhari said that the politics rooted in rhetoric, exploitation, and manipulation must end in J&K.
He appealed to people to reject the deceptive and exploitative traditional parties and their leaders in the imminent polling for the Lok Sabha elections.
Taking a dig at the traditional political parties and their leaders, Bukhari said, “I fail to understand how these parties muster the courage to come to the people seeking votes. In 2019, they urged people to vote for them to help protect Article 370 and Article 35-A. People believed them and made their candidates win. But when the testing time came on August 5, 2019, these so-called public representatives did not even bother to talk or protest against the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35-A. At least these MPs could have resigned to protest the abrogation. Now, they are again coming to people, seeking votes. Why should people vote for the same parties who have deceived them again and again over the years and decades?”
He appealed to the people to reject the traditional parties and their leaders in the imminent polls.
He said, “I request you to use the power of your vote to put an end to their exploitative politics. Don’t allow them to deceive you yet again through fake promises and emotional sloganeering.”
The Apni Party president termed the Home Minister’s recent statement an eye-opener, in which he revealed that parties like NC, PDP, and Congress were responsible for killings in fake encounters in the past.
He said, “Although we already had an idea of how ruthless these traditional political parties and their leaders can be in pursuit of power and political gains, the revelation by none other than the Home Minister of the country serves as an eye-opener for all.”
Bukhari appealed to people to vote for the Apni Party in the parliamentary elections.
He said, “I promise you that if you grant us your mandate, we will never disappoint you. Our party is the newest, and this marks its debut in the Lok Sabha polls. I assure you that we will represent the sentiments of the people in the parliament.”
He promised that when the party secures a mandate in both parliamentary and assembly polls, it would ensure to eradicate all the major issues afflicting the people of J&K.
Bukhari said, “We have a lot to do. Hundreds of our youngsters are still in jail, and we have to get them back to their families. We have to create employment opportunities for our youth. We have to restore statehood to J&K. We have to ensure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir receive all the rights guaranteed by the country’s constitution to every citizen. We have to ensure the political and economic empowerment of the people. And I assure you that the Apni Party leadership has both the will and the potential to accomplish all of these tasks. We only require your support.”
He promised the people of Budgam that once the Apni Party comes to power, it would develop several tourist destinations, including the Tosa Maidan meadow, to create new employment opportunities.
Bukhari also promised that the Apni Party would provide 500 units of electricity free to every household once the party comes to power.
Apni Party General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir, Provincial President Kashmir and the party’s candidate for Lok Sabha polls for Srinagar, Muhammad Ashraf Mir were also present on the occasion.