Srinagar, Sep 14: Refuting allegations of making a deal with Delhi for personal gain, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Saturday said his efforts were solely for the welfare of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
“My Kashmiri brothers and sisters, I have not made a deal with Delhi. I did it for your respect, for your land, for your children’s jobs,” Bukhari told reporters while door-to-door campaigning in Chanpora Constituency.
He said the government should release political prisoners and take meaningful steps toward achieving justice and healing in J&K. “First, we will have to free the prisoners. We will have to make a one-time amnesty,” he said, adding that this is the only way forward for the healing process in Jammu & Kashmir.
Bukhari further said that the political missteps of previous governments led to the suffering of many families. “The responsibility lies with the government of that time. They killed our children,” he said, adding that the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were involved in policies that harmed the local population.
“The previous governments imposed FIRs, and the current situation is a result of their mismanagement,” he said, adding, “Who put up this FIR? These are the same governments. The NC and PDP did it. Delhi didn’t come to put up the FIR.”
The Apni Party chief said since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, many lives have been saved due to better management by the central government. “I haven’t seen anyone die since then. At least they saved the lives of the people,” he said.
