Srinagar, Jul 04: Former Cabinet Minister and Apni Party’s Senior Vice President, Ghulam Hassan Mir, on Friday urged the Union government to initiate Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and engage with the youth in Jammu and Kashmir to address the issues and grievances of the people.
Addressing a party convention in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, Mir said the GoI must engage with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and initiate required CBMs to address the issues and grievances of the people.
Prominent party leaders, including Vice President Javaid Mustafa Mir and Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir, also addressed the convention.
In his address, Mir said, “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered immensely, both in terms of human and material losses, over the past three decades due to violence and bloodshed in the region. Now, as a sense of normalcy begins to return, people are still facing a range of issues that require the Centre’s intervention and attention to be resolved. I urge the Union Government to initiate the necessary confidence-building measures (CBMs) and actively engage with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Mir criticised the traditional political parties, particularly the ruling National Conference (NC), for what he described as their continued efforts to undermine grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The traditional political parties, such as the ruling National Conference (NC), have never allowed grassroots democracy—a three-tier system of local self-governance—to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir. Instead, the NC has always tried to suppress democratic values and strengthen dynastic rule here,” he said.
The Apni Party leader said the three-tier system is the only system that ensures democracy thrives from the bottom to the top. “This system operates at the village, block, and district levels, empowering people at the grassroots level to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives,” he said.
Mir also lashed out at the ruling party for its “deceptive promises” made to voters during the election campaign, like the restoration of statehood and Article 370. “Another poll promise made by the ruling party was that they would create one lakh jobs within six months of assuming power,” he said.
The former minister also expressed grave concern over the growing unemployment, inflation, and other issues that people are currently grappling with.
