Srinagar, May 23: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday urged people not to vote for the dynastic parties in Jammu and Kashmir.
“For the safety and well-being of your children, you must ensure that the Khandani Parties, like NC and PDP, never return to power in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said while addressing public gatherings in several areas of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
He said, “You must never forget that these parties and their leaders are responsible for the deaths, bloodshed, and destruction that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir over the years and decades. They misled people, provoked them to resort to violence, and, in the meantime, they created empires for themselves and established their family rule here. Thus, it is important for the safety and well-being of the people that these parties and their leaders are kept away from attaining power in the future.”
Taking a dig at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader for her “emotional sloganeering”, Bukhari said, “These days, the leader of the PDP frequently chants the slogan ‘Jis Kashmir Ko Khoon Se Sencha, Woh Kashmir Hamara Hai” (The Kashmir that we have watered with our blood, that Kashmir is ours). Someone must ask her, which blood is she referring to? Is it the blood of the innocent children who were gunned down in 2016 while she was in power in Jammu and Kashmir, or is it the blood spilt in the massacres at places like Bijbehara, Hawal, and Gawkadal in the 1990s when her late father was Home Minister at the Centre?”
He also blamed the National Conference (NC) for its “political gimmicks”, and said, “NC’s leadership was hand in glove with the leaders in Delhi long before 1947. That is why they were handed the government in Jammu and Kashmir post-47, even without a public mandate. However, in later years, NC leadership indulged in political gimmickry to pressure Delhi. They chanted slogans like “Raishumari” and “Autonomy” here time and again, just to maintain their hold on power and strengthen their family rule here. They made people scapegoats by raising such emotionally charged slogans here.”
He reiterated his promise to ensure the ban on Jammat-e-Islami is lifted, saying, “Their schools will be free to operate in the field of education and their scholars will be free to provide religious and spiritual guidance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Urging people to support the Apni Party and vote for Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, the party candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency, Bukhari said, “We will ensure that the FIRs registered against thousands of our youth are withdrawn, and the prisoners are set free to live normal lives. We will also make sure that draconian laws like PSA and AFSPA are removed so that people can truly enjoy peace and justice in this land. Apni Party will do everything to ensure a dignified life for our youth.”
