Jammu, July 18: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday stressed upon the importance of unity among the people of J&K, regardless of their caste, creed, regional or geographical backgrounds, religious beliefs, or political ideologies “in order to attain the rights guaranteed to them by the constitution of the country”.
He was speaking at a party event organised by the party’s Other Backward Class (OBC) wing in Jammu today. During the event, several youths from the OBC joined Apni Party in the presence of party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and Provincial President Manjit Singh.
Speaking at the occasion, Bukhari reaffirmed his position on the rights of Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and other marginalised communities, and said, “Apni Party strongly supports the legitimate demands of these marginalised sections, including the implementation of a 27% reservation for OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir.”
He suggested that August 5 would be an appropriate day to highlight the 27% reservation for OBCs, as the Central government claims that on this day in 2019, a way was paved for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be on par with the people in the rest of the country.
“If OBCs across the country have 27% reservation in government jobs and higher educational institutes, then how can people from the same category in J&K be deprived of this reservation?” he asked.
Emphasising the unity of the people across Jammu and Kashmir, the Apni Party said, “We the people of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of our caste, creed, political ideologies, or regional and religious identities, must come together to attain the social, economic, and political rights guaranteed to us by the constitution of the country. Apni Party is exceptional in terms of having its footprint equally in all the regions and sub-regions across the Union Territory (UT). This party unites people on a common agenda, which is striving for the social, economic, and political empowerment of the people of this region.”
He appealed to everyone to unite for the protection of constitutional rights. “We ought to be aware of the rights that we are eligible for according to the constitution. We must also have the courage and will to raise our voices unanimously to attain these rights. This is not the time to dwell on differences of caste, creed, regional or sub-regional identities, religious beliefs, or political ideologies. Instead, this is the time for complete unity to safeguard our social, economic, and political rights,” he said.
“We are human beings belonging to this land. Our religious, ethnic, and geographical identities are secondary. Thus, we must focus on raising our standard of living, as we all equally desire a dignified life. The secondary differences can be sorted out later,” Bukhari said.
