Srinagar, Jul 30: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday congratulated the security forces for eliminating the terrorists responsible for the killing of tourists in Pahalgam. He appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to announce the release of the over two thousand people who had been arrested merely on suspicion after the Pahalgam attack.
In a statement issued here, Bukhari said, “I congratulate the security forces for successfully neutralising the terrorists who brutally murdered innocent tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. In light of this development, I believe there is no longer any justification for continuing to detain the more than two thousand individuals who were taken into custody merely on suspicion following the Pahalgam terror attack. I appeal to the Hon’ble Home Minister to announce their release during the ongoing Parliament session.”
Apni Party president made this statement while speaking to reporters after a party event organised to welcome Dr Harbakash Singh, the DDC member from Tral, and his associates— including several Sarpanches and Panches—into the party fold.
Addressing the occasion, Bukhari urged the Centre to uphold the dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “Only the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been bearing the brunt of the actions of the enemy nation. Who faces the bullets and mortars fired from across the border? It is our people who die for the country—yet they are the ones being deprived of their right to a dignified life.”
He added, “I recently met a father whose son was picked up following the Pahalgam attack and sent to a jail outside Jammu and Kashmir. The father told me that his son has never been involved in any anti-national activity, nor is there any case registered against him with the police—yet he remains behind bars. What is his fault? Nearly two and a half thousand people have been arrested after the Pahalgam attack. What is the fault of all these detainees? The Centre must restore the dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
After the event, speaking with reporters and responding to a question, he said that “Apni Party has always believed and stated that the resolution of all issues about Jammu and Kashmir will come from New Delhi, not from anywhere else. Today, the traditional parties are echoing the same stance.”
He went on to say, “I am pleased that all political entities, including the ruling National Conference (NC), which were earlier part of the misleading alliance called PAGD, have now begun to acknowledge that the solution to the problems lies in New Delhi.”
Responding to a question about PDP, the Apni Party chief said, “This is no longer the PDP that existed during the time of the late Mufti Sahib. The organisation has now been reduced to just a few pockets in South Kashmir.”
Taking a dig at the ruling NC, he said, “I am disappointed with the performance of this government.”
Dr Harbakash Singh, who, besides being a DDC member from Tral, also serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health and Education in Pulwama district and has been spokesperson of the PDP in the past, also addressed the occasion.
