Uri, Aug 30: Taking a dig at traditional political parties, particularly those rooted in dynastic legacies, Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said on Wednesday these parties and their leaders have “always misled” the people through “deceptive political manoeuvres”.
He said that “political families have always believed they were entitled to rule, treating the common populace as their subjects within Jammu and Kashmir”. He expressed pride in not belonging to any political family and “thus not being involved in deceiving his own people”.
Bukhari made these remarks during an event in north Kashmir’s Uri, wherein a number of respectable citizens and notable young activists joined the party in the distinguished presence of the party’s president, the Apni Party said in a statement.
Speaking at the event, Bukhari underscored how dynasties have harmed the interests of the people of J&K through their deceptive politics. He said, “As the people of Jammu and Kashmir, we have suffered hugely over the past seven decades because our leaders kept us busy with their deceptive political narratives and never told us the truth. Even Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the tallest leader of his times, used to change his stances time and again and did not tell the people the truth, despite being privy to the truth, as suggested by his famous Lal Chowk speech; he refrained from openly acknowledging it.”
The Apni Party chief emphasised the need for transparent and genuine political discourse and said, “The truth is that J&K was destined to be a part of India in 1947, and we should have stuck to this reality. However, unfortunately, our leaders chose to manipulate the emotions of innocent people in their rallies by often resorting to symbolic gestures like displaying rock salt and green fabric to represent our neighbouring nation.”
While expressing his goodwill towards the neighbouring country, he asserted, “I hold sincere respect for our neighbouring nation. However, my firm conviction is that the key to a dignified and prosperous life for the people of Jammu and Kashmir lies within our own nation’s boundaries and not elsewhere.”
According to the statement, the new entrants who joined the party today included Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Zaffar ul Bhat, Naseer Ahmad Bhat, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, Jamid, Nasir Rashid Bhat, Sonaullah Tantray, Jallal ud Din, Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Aijaz Ahmad Budoo, and others.
