Srinagar, Dec 06: Apni Party on Wednesday lashed out at the traditional parties, including the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party, for their “deceptive” political narratives which have the “potential to inflict further suffering” on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It “urged” these parties to “stop fooling” the people any further, saying that “establishing PAGD (People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration) in the name of protecting Article 370 and 35A was a fraud committed by traditional parties”.
According to a statement issued here, Apni Party leaders said, “The continued emotional sloganeering by these parties has the potential to bring further suffering to the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Apni Party’s President, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari chaired a crucial party meeting at the party headquarters here which was aimed at discussing a range of issues, including the current political scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections, public concerns, and certain party affairs, the statement said, adding that party leaders from across the valley attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Bukhari expressed satisfaction with the performance and endeavours of the leaders and grassroots-level workers. However, he urged the leaders to maintain their active involvement in political activities and public outreach to ensure widespread awareness of the party’s agenda and policies among the people, the statement further said, adding, “The participants in the meeting collectively granted unanimous authority to both the party president and the parliamentary board, empowering them to make decisions pertinent to the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the best interest of the party.”
According to the statement, the Apni Party leaders, while sharing their views on the issue said, “Traditional political parties, especially the two family-based parties NC and PDP, have always deceived people through their misleading slogans and false promises. They have ruined the lives of the people, especially the youth, over the years. They consistently allure people through emotional sloganeering for their own political gains. History bears witness that these parties have resorted to deceptive slogans like ‘Raishumari,’ ‘Autonomy,’ self-rule, and so on, over the years and decades. Ultimately, people, especially the youth, have fallen prey to these emotional slogans. Such deceptive slogans have led lakhs of youngsters either to jails or to graveyards, especially during the past three decades.”
“Since elections are due, these parties are attempting to fool people in the name of Article 370 and 35A. They try to create an impression that they will reinstate these abrogated articles. In fact, neither do these parties have any authority to reinstate these articles, nor do they have the power to do so. It is up to the Supreme Court to undo the abrogation. However, these traditional parties attempt to gain electoral and other political advantages by deceiving people with their tall claims,” they observed.