Statehood matter should be resolved politically: Bukhari

Srinagar, Aug 15: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Friday said the statehood issue should not have been taken to the Supreme Court but resolved politically.”It is a political matter, not a legal battle,” Bukhari said in a statement issued here. He questioned the identity and credibility of those who approached the Apex Court with a petition seeking the restoration of statehood.“They might be from the same political parties who had also taken the matter of Articles 370 and 35A to court, challenging their abrogation, which ultimately resulted in the court upholding the abrogation decision,” he said.The Apni Party chief made these remarks on the sidelines of a flag-hoisting ceremony at the party headquarters in Srinagar, where party leaders and senior workers gathered to mark the nation’s Independence Day. However, the Independence Day celebrations were not held with fanfare in view of the tragic loss of lives in the Kishtwar cloudburst tragedy, the party said.Speaking with the reporters, Bukhari said, “On the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, I extend warm greetings to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. However, we are saddened today by the loss of precious human lives in the Kishtwar cloudburst tragedy. I am deeply saddened by this tragedy. We stand in solidarity with the affected people and the families who lost their loved ones in this devastating natural calamity.”When asked to comment on the Supreme Court’s observation regarding the restoration of statehood to J&K, the Apni Party chief said, “First of all, we don’t know who approached the Supreme Court with the petition seeking the restoration of statehood. It is a political matter and should be resolved politically, not in court. Unfortunately, it often happens that whenever someone takes matters of a political nature to the Supreme Court, it causes damage to our interests. The same happened in the case of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, where the Supreme Court eventually upheld the decision to abrogate these articles.”He went on to say, “It seems that the same political parties, or their workers, are behind the move to take the statehood matter to the Supreme Court. They had also, unwisely, approached the Court over the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.”Bukhari vowed that the Apni Party will expose those who frequently approach the courts with political issues, thereby making them more complicated and causing damage to the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.He urged the UT and the central governments to verify the identity and credentials of those who have approached the Supreme Court over the statehood matter.