Jammu, May 09: Apni Party president Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold early assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir.
“The assembly elections should be held as early as possible in Jammu & Kashmir. We have expectations with the PM that he will fulfill his promise,” Bukhari said while addressing a one-day worker’s meeting in Chatha, Satwari here. The meeting was organized by Provincial President Jammu, Women Wing, Pavneet Kour.
According to a party statement issued here, Bukhari recalled how they were warmly welcomed by the Prime Minister in March 2020 following the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A to discuss public issues.
“We met the PM as the people in J&K had apprehensions that outsiders will settle here. When the people were in complete despair, we came out to represent them. Accordingly, the PM promised protection to the land and jobs for the locals of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that the statehood should be restored to win the confidence and hold elections to end the growing public concerns with regard to various issues.
He said, “We saw truthfulness in the eyes of the Prime Minister. Therefore, we expect from the PM that assembly elections will be held and people will be given the right to elect their government.”
Meanwhile, Bukhari alleged that the LG-led administration has “cornered the J&K Administrative Services and J&K Police Services Officers and replaced them with the imported IAS and IPS officers who are unfriendly with the people of both the regions”, the statement said.
“It a matter of grave concern that the JKAS and JKPS officers have been sidelined by the government. However, these officers must get ready to take the responsibility. They are the backbone of J&K,” he said.
He asked the people to bring change in the governance whenever the assembly elections are held in Jammu & Kashmir.
He also criticized the J&K BJP saying it has failed to bring any kind of change. “It (J&K BJP) is dependent upon the national-level politics. They just implemented their political agenda to gain vote bank politics across the country, but failed in Jammu,” he said.
Bukhari said the people should support the Apni Party to form the next government in J&K “so that we could work for their equitable development, protect their resources, through the contractors from outside, protect the jobs in the private sector, and work for the business, and other sectors”.
If the Apni Party forms the next government, it will restart the darbar move practice to boost the business in Jammu, he said.
